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

I was asked about matters in the 2010 election. I am making it very clear that in the 2007 election and in the 2010 election Labor contested both elections saying to the Australian people, ‘Climate change is real; we need to price carbon. The best way of doing that is through an emissions trading scheme where you cap the amount of carbon pollution your economy can generate and you allow the market to generate the price.’ We said that to the Australian people in 2007. We said that to the Australian people in 2010. What is interesting about that 2007 election is that Prime Minister Howard said the same thing to the Australian people. He said exactly the same thing. And Prime Minister Howard had the guts to say to the Australian people that this would have price impacts for them. He had the guts to say to the Australian people that he would deal with those price impacts through assistance—that is, he was being honest and clear with the Australian people about the nature of the problem and the required solution.

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