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

I thank Senator Brandis for the question. I know he is an expert on such matters, given his harsh assessment of his own former Prime Minister. It is disappointing that the best the Liberal Party can offer in question time today is to rerun arguments and claims from years past. The point is that all they have is rhetoric. There are no questions about policy; there is no focus on the policy debate before the parliament. All there is here is the sort of politics that goes down well at Liberal Party council meetings where they will say: 'Good on you, Senator George Brandis. You really ran the lines that make us all feel good.'

When it comes to the question about whether they have any policies or are engaged at all in the policy debate about the challenges facing the Australian economy, they are not there; they are absent. A couple of slogans, a couple of photo opportunities, and that is it. This parliament, the elected representatives of Australia, will get the opportunity later this year to debate a substantive piece of legislation which will seek to put a price on carbon. The parliament will decide. We will again attempt to have a serious, comprehensive response to the challenge of climate change. We will introduce the legislation, and all members of parliament will get their chance to debate it. Hopefully the opposition will join the serious policy debate, and this parliament will get to make a decision as to whether or not we will implement a price on carbon. This government is committed to doing that. This government is committed to working with members of parliament with goodwill who are interested in a serious response to climate change, to put in place a price on carbon and help make the transformation the economy needs to make. I hope the opposition soon begin to focus on the real policy questions before Australia.