Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

making up figures in order to cause alarm in the Australian community. But the Australian community are smarter than the Leader of the Opposition gives them credit for. The Australian community believes that climate change is real. Yes, that is a substantial difference from the Leader of the Opposition’s backbench, which is populated by sceptics and deniers. The Australian community believes climate change is real, and the Australian community wants to see us in this place providing practical answers to this challenge of climate change, and that is exactly what the government is doing.

Reputable economists tell us that the most cost-effective way of dealing with the challenge of carbon pollution is to put a price on it, and that is what we will do. We will put a price on pollution—a price that polluters will pay. We will provide generous assistance to Australian families and, because we are a Labor government, the assistance that is provided to Australian families will be fair assistance.

In the meantime, what does the Leader of the Opposition do? It depends. It depends if he is on Alan Jones or in front of a community meeting, in which case he is a climate change denier. Then, if he gets out in front of what he thinks is a more responsible audience, he pretends to believe in climate change. Whether or not the Leader of the Opposition believes in climate change depends on what day you catch him. As the member for Wentworth said, he is the ultimate weathervane in Australian politics: no policies; no plans; no beliefs; no convictions; just slogans and a scare campaign, and that is all we are seeing again today.

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