Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I am not sure why the Liberal senators will not ask Senator Wong questions about this—probably because she beats them up so badly. It is my great pleasure to answer the question. I note again that Senator Birmingham has amnesia, like all Liberal members who forget that they went to the last election supporting an ETS, arguing for an ETS and promising the Australian people that they would deliver it. Even a conservative like John Howard recognised the impact of climate change and he went to the election. Senator Birmingham and the rest of the Liberal opposition promised the Australian people that you would support an ETS. You also indicated when we first introduced this legislation that you would be supporting it. Up until a month or two ago you were supporting it, but now apparently it will result in the end of the world as we know it. Of course that is nonsense.

We have undertaken to fully compensate Australian families for the costs of our ETS and 92 per cent of the families will receive full compensation and working families in Australia will have those costs met. That is in sharp contrast to yesterday’s con, yesterday’s stunt, by Mr Abbott in which he suddenly announced that $11 billion over 10 years would magically arrive and would be paid for under the ‘forces of greed’. According to the finance spokesman, polluters will get access to $11 billion of whose money? Taxpayers’ money. So do not talk to me about a tax! The $11 billion of taxpayers’ money will allow people through their ‘actions of greed’, as you describe it—what a disgrace!—