Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. As I was saying, those opposite simply are not capable, it appears, of confronting the economic challenge that is presented by climate change. It really exemplifies that they are the party of the past. Just as they squibbed it when they were in government on issues such as skills and infrastructure, just as they squibbed it on investing in the nation’s future, so too are they now squibbing it when it comes to the economically responsible task of responding to climate change. We have made our timetable for decision making quite clear. We have said we will receive the Garnaut report, which is also what you say you are waiting for in terms of a decision. We have said we will issue a green paper which will go to issues of ETS design, including coverage. It will go to those issues as well. But when we make our decisions we will do so with a very clear eye on securing the nation’s prosperity into the future and with a very clear understanding of the consequences of variously designed decisions.

What the opposition is failing to respond to, is failing to deal with, is what happens if you leave certain sectors of the economy out. You will have to come clean with the Australian people that, if you leave parts of the economy outside of the ETS, those sectors which are covered will have to pay a higher price and do more work to deliver the reduction in emissions that this country and the globe needs. And what will become clear over time is that this opposition simply will not face up to the economic task of tackling climate change.