Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the statement of the member for Moreton, who said he would resign rather than back a leadership change:

I will not be breaking faith with the people of Morton. I did it in 2010 and I've been constantly reminded by my voters that I did that. … This is about me keeping faith with the people who put me in office.

Will the Prime Minister and Labor members of this House now keep faith with the Australian people by honouring her pre-election commitment that 'There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead'?

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

What a remarkable question from the Leader of the Opposition who is on the public record as supporting a carbon tax, who is on the public record as supporting a carbon price and who has said consistently only one thing to the Australian people—that is, that the only thing he believes in is what he thinks the politics of the moment is telling him. That is the only thing he believes in. Historically and famously he was referred to by the member for Wentworth as a weathervane, someone who has no core beliefs about Australia's future and no ability to shape that future. He has no concern about jobs in the future, no concern for pensioners or for family payments in the future and no concern for cutting taxes.

Tomorrow this House of Representatives will vote on putting a price on carbon. This House of Representatives will record its vote on whether we believe climate change is real; on whether we believe that the most efficient way of addressing climate change is to put a price on carbon pollution; on whether we believe in protecting Australian jobs; on whether we believe that pensioners and people who are raising families deserve extra assistance; and on whether we believe we should be providing tax cuts to working people earning less than $80,000 a year and, particularly, providing the biggest tax cuts to people on lower incomes. These will be the things that go for a vote tomorrow.

What I can say to the Leader of the Opposition is that each and every step of the way he has found a way to twist and turn in this debate. He used to be in favour of pricing carbon; now he says he is opposed. I can understand the Leader of the Opposition being here today advocating further delay in putting a price on carbon. I can understand that because the Leader of the Opposition senses what the Australian people will ultimately come to know—that his so-called promise to repeal a price on carbon is just nonsense. He will not repeal a price on carbon if he is ever elected as Prime Minister. He will not do that because more than half of his political party supports putting a price on carbon. He will not do that because to do that would mean repudiating every living Liberal leader. He will not do that because ultimately wiser heads will prevail in the opposition and they will say, 'Don't take money out of the hands of pensioners; don't take money out of the hands of families.' He will not do that and he is not to be believed when he says he will.

Tomorrow this House will record its vote and every member will be required to file in here and record whether they are on the side of history, whether they are on the side of action, whether they are on the side of change or whether they are content to stand against and watch the world change while Australia stays the same. We, on this side of the parliament, will vote for a clean energy future, for reducing carbon pollution, for enabling economic growth without increases in carbon pollution and for putting more money in the hands of pensioners, working Australians who need it the most, people raising families. We will make sure, more importantly than almost anything else, that we seize the jobs and opportunities that come with a clean energy future.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. In light of the Prime Minister's answer a moment ago why did she say five days before the last election, 'There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead'? In light of what she has just said, if the arguments in favour of a carbon tax are so good, why will she not have the courage of her convictions and put this to the people at an election?

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

I look forward to the Leader of the Opposition's explanation as to why he has said in the past that he is in favour of putting a price on carbon, why he has said in the past that he is 'a bit of a weathervane' when it comes to this—a man of no core convictions, no promises, nothing that can be believed. Certainly one thing that can never be believed is his assertion that he will repeal this price on carbon. The Leader of the Opposition will not do that.

To the Leader of the Opposition's question, as I have said many times before in this parliament and beyond, as I have spoken to members of the community I have talked to them about how the science is real. I accept the science. Frequently, the Leader of the Opposition does not. We need to cut carbon pollution by at least five per cent by 2020. I believe in doing that; some days the Leader of the Opposition does not. I believe we should accept the advice of economists that the most cost-effective way of doing that is to put a price on carbon. The Leader of the Opposition never accepts advice from economists; instead, he personally criticises them.

I believe that as we price carbon and reduce carbon pollution we should do everything we can to provide benefits to pensioners, people raising children and workers deserving of tax cuts—and we will. I believe that we should do everything we can to support the steel industry—and we will. And tomorrow's vote will in part be about who stands alongside steelworkers and who is prepared to desert them. That will be what tomorrow's vote is about as well.

As the Leader of the Opposition well knows, in the last election campaign I spoke to the Australian people about the science being real and I spoke to the Australian people about the need to have an emissions trading scheme. We have used the opportunity of this parliament, and this parliament will deliver this major reform which will enable us to seize a clean energy future. Meanwhile, I anticipate the Leader of the Opposition, the man who used to be in favour of pricing carbon, the man who used to talk favourably about putting a tax on carbon, the man who has said he is nothing but a weathervane when it comes to this huge issue for the nation's future, will start twisting and turning and becoming sharper and more hysterical in a desperate attempt to try to convince the Australian people he will repeal carbon pricing. We know he will not.