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

There is scaremongering by National and Liberal Party members who have never wanted action on climate change and will do and say anything, regardless or how erroneous, wrong and incorrect it is, in order to avoid action. That is what is happening. The fact is that you have form on this. You are the rump of the Liberal Party and the National Party who refuse to believe the science, who refuse to listen to the Australian people about their desire for action on climate change and who refuse to back the election commitment you made under John Howard to introduce a scheme like this. It is irresponsible in the extreme for senators to come into this place seeking to deny the science and fight this policy, not on the basis of fact but on the basis of fear. Senator Boswell knows well that this scheme has not yet commenced; in fact that is what he is trying to stop. That is what he is opposing. He wants to ensure that the scheme never commences.

Second, he makes this claim that we are closing down industries to send money overseas. What an appalling piece of scaremongering here in this chamber. He knows that every cent of this scheme out to 2020, and more, is being used to assist Australian households and Australian businesses to adjust to the impact of a carbon price. That was our commitment and that commitment remains. He also seeks to avoid recognising the impacts of climate change. Senator Boswell, I know that you do not agree with the science. But we are doing this because we think it is the right thing for the country. We believe that the science is right, that this is an enormous economic and environmental risk to Australia and that the world is moving. We know, for example, that the US has just announced a provisional target to take to Copenhagen.