Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Page from the Energy Supply Association of Australia said this last Friday of the Leader of the Opposition’s policy:

We are still not quite sure how an investor in new generation would make a decision about what technology and what fuel source to use, but I can tell you one thing—they will not be thinking about algae fired power stations like you are.

The business community is being left with anticipated cost increases and tremendous burdens, and it will have the effect of deferring investment. As the Prime Minister said, these costs will be passed through in higher prices, and yet from the hypocrites that the opposition are there is no compensation and no assistance for pensioners and households to meet those increased costs.

Could there be a greater hypocrisy than the member for Menzies rising yesterday out of feigned concern for a maritime worker facing rising costs of living? The entirety of their attack is totally phoney. Their position is phoney. They will be putting up costs and there is no assistance for households and consumers to meet it. The only person on that side of the House in recent times to stand up, say what is right and say what is in the national interest, to his credit, was the member for Wentworth in his address yesterday to the parliament on the CPRS legislation. This is what he had to say:

In short, having the government pay for emissions abatement, as opposed to the polluting industries themselves, is a slippery slope which can only result in higher taxes …

And that is an accurate observation of your policy. The member for Wentworth went on to say this in referring to the CPRS legislation:

This legislation is the only policy on offer which can credibly enable us to meet our commitment to a five per cent cut to emissions by 2020 …

I would like to acknowledge the contribution by the member for Wentworth and sincerely so because he stood up under a lot of pressure. It cost him his job as Leader of the Opposition. He was taken out because of his stance, his respect for the science and his acceptance that the best way to reduce emissions in an economy is an emissions trading scheme. The new Leader of the Opposition would do well to take a leaf out of his booklet.

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