Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The chairman of Xstrata, Mr Peter Coates, said the following in terms of climate change and the policy of those opposite. He said the coalition was:

… perceived to have no position on the ETS other than putting it off until next year …

So said Peter Coates, chairman of Xstrata, on 19 June. What you have is the business community alert to what is occurring—that is, those opposite are so disunited on climate change that their one unifying call is this: whatever we do in the Senate, let’s all agree on putting off the vote for as long as possible, because having such a vote will expose the absolute depths of the divisions which exist within our ranks.

Again this comes back to the state of the leadership which exists within the opposition today. Australia wants business certainty and regulatory certainty on the future of climate change. What is impeding that? A failure of leadership on the part of the Leader of the Opposition to bring about unity on his side on which way they will vote. If they simply want to vote against it, have the vote—conduct it—we would at least know where they stand. But to have no vote at all is the ultimate demonstration of political cowardice, the ultimate demonstration of a lack of political ticker, the ultimate demonstration of a failure of leadership. We know why that is the case: because this leader’s authority within his own ranks has collapsed, as has his credibility and integrity in the eyes of the Australian people.

See this speech in context