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

Thank you very much. The last few words I said before I was interrupted were on the question of manufacturing jobs, about which the member asked me. Let me address that for the member. I understand and the government understands that we will need to take steps to assist industry to adjust. That is why when we announced the carbon price we said all of the revenue raised by putting a price on the 1,000 biggest polluters will be used to assist households—that is the assistance that the member is committed to ripping away—will be used to assist industry to adjust and will be used for programs to tackle climate change. I want to protect Australian jobs. I want us to have the clean energy jobs of the future. In order to ensure as we design the scheme that we hear the voice of business, we are working through a business roundtable as well as through direct consultations so that we can get the design right. We want to protect Australian jobs. That is what the industry assistance is about as part of this package to price carbon. If the member seriously wants to contribute to this debate then of course he would have to get his party to abandon climate change denial, price carbon and work with us on the details.

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