Albanese confirms the government is holding tight to a secret climate risk report

The Prime Minister has given his most substantial response yet to requests from House and Senate crossbenchers to have "open and transparent conversation" about climate change and release a declassified version of the Labor-ordered and completed Climate Risk Assessment Report by the Office of National Intelligence (ONI).

The crossbenchers, including Greens senator David Shoebridge and ACT senator David Pocock, cite the United States having several unclassified climate risk reports available to the public.

In answers released on Wednesday to a series of questions on notice from Senator Shoebridge, Mr Albanese said the timing, content and judgements of the assessment are classified.

"The National Assessment is an intelligence assessment and does not contain recommendations. The government's considerations of the National Assessment are ongoing," the Prime Minister stated in the answer.

"Along with the government's Climate Statement, tabled in Parliament on 1 December 2022, there is already considerable material available in the public domain discussing national security threats from climate change."

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Senator Shoebridge said Mr Albanese's response seems to downplay and de-prioritise climate change, while throwing up more questions than answers.

"Someone needs to tell the PM he can't small target his way out of the climate crisis," he said. "The government is trying to tell us that there is a significant amount of material already released about security risks from climate change, so why continue hiding this critically important report?"

"The experts are telling us this report likely has critical information about the regional security threats of climate change, with water wars, forced migration and broken supply chains.

"That's a future we need to face up to, and try to avert, rather than just hiding our heads in the sand."

Former Chief of Defence Force, retired Admiral Chris Barrie, has been accusing Labor of dragging it heels over climate security and has warned that climate impacts will produce state instability and failure in both Asia and the Pacific.

In June, the government released an unclassified 116-page version of the Defence Strategic Review, which warned climate change was a national security threat and might "significantly increase" the risk of conflict in the region.

The climate security risk is also seen as possible mass migration, increased demand for peacekeeping and peace enforcement.