Ian Macfarlane (Groom, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (Charges-Customs) Bill 2009 and the associated amendments. Can I state from the outset that the coalition is absolutely committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the target of five per cent and—in the event of international agreements—by 15 or even 25 per cent. It remains a fact, in this House, that the coalition has done more to achieve that, in its time in government, than this government. In fact, this government has yet to achieve any measure that has reduced carbon pollution or carbon dioxide emissions in the last two years. It is a fact that there has been a lot of talk on that side but not much action.

The fact of the matter is—as was highlighted the Australian newspaper about three or four weeks ago—it is the Howard government that put in place the practical measures and the first step towards an ETS. It put in place the practical measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—to lower the intensity, for instance, of emissions generating a kilowatt hour or a megawatt hour of electricity. So we are supportive of the target. We have the record of achieving gains in lowering emissions.

We set out in this process to negotiate, in good faith, the amendments to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. We have indicated all along that we will conduct those negotiations with the goal of achieving a bill that will not destroy the jobs and the industries that exist in Australia today. We should be absolutely clear, though, that the reason we are doing this is not—as the member for Moreton wants to attest—to delay the passage of this bill. It is to fix the multitude of flaws that are in this bill; the multitude of flaws that will cost Australians their jobs and will cost future Australians their jobs and will cost Australia our future competitiveness.

We need to ensure that we fix this bill. We need to ensure that this is not, instead of being a blueprint to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in fact a blueprint to destroy jobs in Australia. I am interested to read the speakers list, Mr Deputy Speaker, and am interested to see that the member for Flynn, the member for Dawson, the member for Throsby and the member for Hunter are not on this speakers list.

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