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

I will take that interjection. Senator Abetz accuses us of a cover-up. But we have been transparent. We have come to the Australian people and said that we want to take action on climate change, and we have set out this process. I can tell you where the cover-up is: it is on that side. It is those opposite who want to continue to delay consideration of this, not because they think it is the right thing to do, not because they think it is in the national interest, but because they cannot get a position. I want to talk for a while about what has occurred, on the opposition side of the chamber over the last few years—in fact longer than that. This issue of an emissions trading scheme has been on the public policy agenda for a very long time. In fact, those opposite might like to know—