Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

There we have it from the Australian Greens. It's either more spending or more taxes or, ideally for the Australian Greens, more spending and more taxes, because that is their answer to everything. In the coalition, we believe that good policy doesn't necessarily mean having to spend more. Good policy certainly shouldn't mean having to tax more. Good policy is about making sure that you get the types of outcomes you are looking for—in this case, meeting Australia's emissions reduction targets. As I said in relation to the previous two answers, we are on track to meet and exceed our 2020 targets. We will make sure the policies are there to meet our 2030 targets. But we won't be doing so with the Greens policies of higher taxes or ever-higher spending. The Greens come in here and complain about the amount that is spent. We would argue that it's far better to have an effective policy, as we have, that will deliver those targets but also keep electricity prices down for households and businesses and ensure that the lights go on when you flick a switch. (Time expired)