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

I am aware of those comments and, as the Leader of the Opposition ought to be aware, our Jobs and Competitiveness Program is expected to provide over $3.5 billion of assistance to the aluminium and alumina industries over the next three years to support their competitiveness and to improve their efficiency. The Rusal comments also go to the fact that there are existing policies in China already imposing an effective carbon price, and that is before you take into account the fact that China is in the process of taking further action on climate change and to limit carbon pollution, including agreeing at the international conference in Durban to be part of a global emissions reduction regime which is to be developed for both developed and developing countries and would be agreed by 2015. China has also announced that in 2013 it will introduce pilot emissions trading schemes across major cities and regions covering over 200 million people and China aims to scale this up to a nationwide scheme.

What I would say to the Leader of the Opposition is that we know that the opposition has been out there for a long period of time now trying to sell fear about carbon pricing. I am pleased that the Leader of the Opposition has taken one step back today from playing direct politics with announced job losses and is not maintaining his false assertions from yesterday. But the Leader of the Opposition is still in the fear business. What the Leader of the Opposition should be recognising—

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