Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Joyce, the leader of his coalition bosom buddies over there in the Senate, has said that the ETS is an absolutely ridiculous, stupid scheme. How do these two positions reconcile? We even have Liberals who have reverted to being public apologists for the flat-earth crew. The member for Mayo, who staffed the former Prime Minister through his years of inaction on climate change, said yesterday, ‘I think that Wilson Tuckey and Barnaby Joyce are entitled to their view.’ We have a bit of collegiate support there from the member for Mayo within the Liberal Party, out there supporting Wilson up the back and Barnaby over in the Senate to make sure that the climate change sceptics’ voice is kept out there alive and well.

So, while the Leader of the Opposition might be out there spruiking in support of a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme on the one hand, we have the Liberals split right down the middle, and we have the Nationals split completely from the Liberals and the future of a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. It is impossible, therefore, to know whether they are Arthur or Martha on the question of the future of an emissions trading scheme.

Why is this relevant? It is relevant to whether or not the CPRS will actually obtain passage in the Senate. That is why it is important. There are national interest questions here. Business certainty is necessary. The future of our regulatory environment as it affects the emissions-intensive trade-exposed sector of the economy and other sectors of the constitution is of vital relevance for future business certainty. Those opposite cannot even organise a common position within their party, and cannot organise a common position across their parties, and the business community and the future of the renewable energy sector in this country more broadly is being held to ransom because those opposite cannot forge a common position among themselves.

So again I would say to the Leader of the Opposition on climate change: will the real Malcolm Turnbull please stand up? Is he a climate change sceptic or is he going to support action on climate change—or is he, like the member for Flinders, simply going to disappear into the corner in the hope that the nation at large does not notice? The national interest actually demands some action on the part of the Leader of the Opposition. Take some leadership. Take on the sceptics in your own party. Actually forge a position on behalf of the coalition. Show some leadership on climate change. Instead, what we have is them hauling up the white flag in the face of the climate change sceptics. We need business certainty for Australia’s future.

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