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

We do not accept on this side the continued scare campaign, which is run by Senator Macdonald and those opposite, about jobs in the coal industry. We simply do not. For the reasons I have outlined, we believe that pricing carbon is the right reform for the economy and for the environment. I make this point, and this is about the jobs of tomorrow: does anyone in this chamber really believe that the world will not continue to put a premium on low-carbon goods and services? That has been the trend to date; it will continue to be the trend. We on this side want to make sure Australia can compete in the global economy, which increasingly places a premium on clean energy jobs and clean energy goods and services. We will put in place the reform to achieve that.