Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question, and let me advise him: I make my own decisions. I make my own decisions based on my convictions. When I work through policies for the government, I rely on facts. So how have I formed my view about climate change? Let me be very clear. I looked to the scientific community for what the scientific consensus was. I dealt with facts, not fear. I know that the Leader of the Opposition is in a flirtation with climate change denial. I have looked at the facts and at the science. I formed the view that we need to act. I have accepted economic advice from around the world—the same economic advice the member for Flinders accepted when he wrote his thesis and the same advice former Prime Minister Howard accepted when he released these documents and when the current Leader of the Opposition was in his cabinet. That advice was that the best way of acting on carbon pollution was to harness the power of the market and to have an emissions trading scheme.

I remind the House that in 2007 Prime Minister Howard actually went to the election promising ‘the most comprehensive emissions trading system anywhere in the world’. Post the 2010 election, we work in the parliament the Australian people voted for. In this parliament, as the Leader of the Opposition well knows, we work with others to secure reforms in the national interest. I formed the view, working with the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee and understanding the views of members who are represented on that committee, including the Australian Greens, Mr Windsor and Mr Oakshott, that the best way of securing reform in this parliament, the way forward, was to bring a carbon pricing mechanism to the parliament, and I announced that carbon pricing mechanism. I had a choice between acting and not acting. I had a choice between acting in the national interest and failing to do so. I had a choice between accepting the science and engaging in denial. I had a choice between accepting quality economic advice and rejecting that advice. On every occasion, I made a choice to act—to accept the science, to accept the economic advice, and to work with this parliament to bring carbon pricing to this parliament.

Unfortunately, at every point the Leader of the Opposition has made a different choice: to flirt with climate change denial, to reject economic advice and the power of the markets, to turn his back on 20 years of Liberal engagement with reducing carbon pollution—most recently Prime Minister Howard’s promise to enact the most comprehensive emissions trading system anywhere in the world. In making that choice, the Leader of the Opposition was guided every step of the way by his political interest. He thinks it is in his political interest to be out there raising fear and scaring the community. Can I say to the Leader of the Opposition that, on every judgment call he has needed to make in the nation’s interest on the question of climate change, he has called wrong. Can I say to the Leader of the Opposition too that the Australian community will hold him to account for that.

See this speech in context