Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Direct action, it's piped up—and the Prime Minister, with straight face, amazingly, tried to compare the plan to the dressed-up slush fund we see at the centre of their direct action policy. No carrot, no stick; all we see is a dressed-up slush fund.

There are many, many elements of this policy area that members on this side of the House at least are very keen to talk about because this is a fast-moving, complex area of policy. The member for Sturt is right: the government's position is well known about this; the opposition's position is well known about this. We take the view that, as soon as possible, Australia should move to an emissions trading scheme that places a legal cap on carbon pollution and then lets business work out the cheapest and most effective way to operate within that cap. That is the central argument we will be making in this place and in the other place as the government presents these repeal bills.

But the gag is completely out of order because these last six months have been an important six months for Australia's domestic policy considerations and for Australia's place in the world. For that reason, we oppose this gag motion from the member for Sturt.

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