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

Every economist of any repute is telling us that the least costly way of dealing with carbon pollution is via pricing carbon. So why, as Prime Minister, would I deny this nation the most efficient, least-cost way of dealing with carbon pollution because President Obama has made a different decision? Why would I do that? Of course I would not. This nation deserves to have the least-cost way of dealing with carbon pollution, and that is pricing carbon. That is exactly what we will do, initially through a fixed-price—effectively like a tax—then moving to an emissions trading scheme, as I have outlined on behalf of the government and as I have outlined on behalf of the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee.

On the other side, what do we see as the alternative? What we see, of course, is them taking $30 billion out of the purses and wallets of Australians and giving it to big polluters. On this side, we will take money from big polluters and give it through generous assistance to households.

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