Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

It was good to hear Labor senators today acknowledge that millions of Australians—after more than a decade of climate inaction in this place—voted to get climate action in this parliament. Isn't it ironic that the first piece of legislation we have before us in this parliament is an ex-Tony Abbott piece of legislation? Soon we are going to debate whether you can polish a turd. But let me tell you, right here and now, the only thing this legislation will safeguard is the profits of big polluting companies.

The only thing this legislation will safeguard is the cosy relationship between the Labor political party and the Liberal political party and their big fossil fuel donors. It won't safeguard the children who are here in the chamber today, watching this debate, and their futures. It won't safeguard our climate or our environment or our communities that are suffering, that have been in parliament this week urging us not to pass this safeguard mechanism as it is. You can't fix a problem by making it worse.

We are not going to let this opportunity pass for the 1.8 million Australians who voted for the Greens, to give us the balance of power in this place, to make sure we get climate action in this parliament, because it has been too long. Some of us have been in this chamber day in, day out for over a decade, trying to get climate action. I thank Senator David Pocock for bringing this debate here today.