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

I thank the honourable member for Lowe for his question. The latest national greenhouse accounts released on Monday demonstrate that we need to turn Australia’s emissions around. Over the four quarters to the December quarter of 2008, Australia’s national inventory was estimated at 553 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. That is an increase of 1.1 per cent compared with the corresponding period for the previous year. Emissions from the energy sector have increased by 42 per cent from 1990 to 2007 and by another 1.5 per cent in 2008. To start to reverse this growth into the future, we need to drive investments in renewable energy and clean technology. That is what we are seeking to do through the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.

We have read today that even the Australian coal industry is telling the coalition that they must work with the government. Mr Ralph Hillman, Executive Director of the Australian Coal Association said today that in Australia we need a scheme that can be passed with bipartisan agreement, urging the coalition back to the negotiation table. He said, ‘The Opposition is ultimately going to have to be at the negotiating table on this.’ We wait for the opposition to demonstrate a positive approach to negotiations. We have also read today analysis from Malcolm Turnbull’s own investment bank, Goldman Sachs JBWere.

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