Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is not surprising that the findings of Senator Cormann's report reflected the politics that those opposite are running in this debate. It really is just another piece in their armoury of mounting a scare campaign against actually doing anything on the climate. The problem with engaging in this debate in its totality is that very few people who sit on that side of the chamber, very few people who are in the coalition of the Liberal and National parties, actually believe that climate change is happening. They simply do not believe that climate change is happening. The logical extension of that—it is the logical extension; I understand their conclusions—is that if it is not happening you do not need to do anything about it. I understand that position.

I happen to believe that climate change is happening. I happen to believe that it is induced by human activity. And I believe that human activity or a change in human activity can reduce the consequences of climate change. I think this is an important responsibility for those that have been given responsibility to manage our environment, to manage our economy and to manage our society. It is not an obligation and it is not a responsibility that I as a legislator think we should simply walk away from and ignore.

Why do I believe that climate change is happening and that it is being created by human activity? It is because that is what the overwhelming body of reputable scientists who are specialists in this area say. In most other countries this debate is completely settled. The science has been accepted and people have accepted that we have a responsibility to do something. It is going to be a long-term change, and that is why there does have to be a significant change to the way we behave in our community. Part of that is putting a price on pollution.

If you put a price on pollution, activity will change because the market will seek to avoid paying that price. That is the way the market works. That is what I think most people in this chamber actually support. We actually support the process of the market.