Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

As I was saying, what the senator should be aware of is that the business community, the investment community, do seek certainty across the board in policy areas but certainly, critically, in the context of carbon pricing. If he had taken the time along with the government of engaging with business, he would know that there are a range of different views about how this should be constructed, what the architecture should be, but there is a deep concern about the ongoing uncertainty associated with carbon pricing. The government is very aware of that and does believe that providing certainty in this area is important to making sure investment decisions that have long-term outcomes can be made. We are very concerned to ensure that investors, particularly, for example, in the electricity generation sector, have the capacity to make those investment decisions with policy certainty. So that is why we are working through with the multiparty committee a mechanism to price carbon. There are a range of issues about the design of that mechanism. The Minister for Climate Change and Water has been clear about the processes associated with discussing those. The government is engaging with business to do that. We will continue to do that. Unlike the opposition, we will not try and foster uncertainty by saying before they see anything that they are going to overturn it in future and by fostering the sort of fear-mongering and scare-mongering that they do. (Time expired)