Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased the shadow Treasurer has asked me that question because it enables me to go back to our commitment to price carbon, which is longstanding and enduring—a lot more longstanding than the shadow Treasurer, who was only 12 months ago saying that he believed in a price on carbon. We have announced an emissions trading scheme. That puts a price on carbon. First of all we are going to have a fixed price and then we are going to have a floating price. What we have done is to take the courageous economic decision for the future of this country. Yes, there is political risk associated with that courageous decision, but we are putting the national interest ahead of our own political interest. Of course, what you have seen here from the scare campaign that has been run by the opposition leader, who is a political con man, who wants to pretend that dealing with climate change is cost free—

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