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

Thank you, Mr Speaker. As I was saying: I said to the Australian people before the 2010 election that I believed climate change was real. I said to the Australian people before that election that climate change was induced by human activity. It is induced by carbon pollution and we need to act on carbon pollution. I said to the Australian people the best way of addressing carbon pollution was to price carbon through an emissions trading scheme. And we will get there.

Of course I campaigned for majority government. I work now in the parliament the Australian people voted for, and in this parliament we will price carbon through the carbon mechanism that I announced, despite the fear campaign of the Leader of the Opposition, despite the campaign of denial and fear that he is raising. I also say to the Leader of the Opposition: if he wants to debate political honesty in this place, then bring it on—

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