Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I say to those opposite that they might want to settle down a little bit. Perhaps they are interested in generating their own levels of carbon with the heat and light they are creating in this debate but the words in today’s Illawarra Mercury from Mr Andy Gillespie, the AWU organiser in the area, should be heard well by those opposite. He says.

The scaremongering over the effects of a carbon price should stop.

If those opposite were genuinely interested in the wellbeing and future of an economy like mine in the Illawarra I would encourage them to contribute by having an informed and calm debate about this policy issue, which is of national significance, rather than engaging in the scaremongering that they are running in communities, including communities such as mine and the member for Throsby’s.

This has been an issue that has been confronting this nation for several years now. It is a difficult issue. It is a challenge to do major reform for your economy. It is never easy, and it should be the subject of an intense debate in this place and in this nation. It may surprise those opposite that we would welcome that. We would welcome a proper debate on this issue but we are not getting it. There are enough of those who sit opposite who understand economic reform and who believe that the point that I am making is absolutely correct. I think we saw that on display last night on the television.

We need a debate about the future of this nation as we transform to confront a carbon constrained future and work out how to ride the back of that to grow this economy into the opportunities that can exist for us into the future. In the Illawarra we know the challenge. We live it. We are at the forefront of every economic reform, and we come out stronger and more diversified.

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