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

I was asked about a matter dealt with in Professor Garnaut's report, and I am clarifying and dealing with that. I am definitely going to clarify this point because of the game playing we are seeing from the opposition today. Of course, they do not want Australians to have a rational debate about climate change and carbon pricing because in the face of a rational debate their fear campaign runs off the rails. Professor Garnaut has put his views into the public domain and they actually deserve a considered public policy response from those opposite. Of course, they will never get that because those opposite are climate change deniers and they are determined to run a fear campaign. What we will do with Professor Garnaut's work—of course, it is there to inform the public discussion—is consider it deeply and the government will make decisions at the appropriate time and we will outline all of those decisions to the Australian people.

Coming to the question that I was asked, can I say this about the cost of living and Australian households: the Leader of the Opposition has distorted today words from a chapter of Professor Garnaut's work that is called 'Better climate, better tax'. That is, Professor Garnaut is talking about tax cuts. What I can certainly say to the House today is as we work through designing household assistance and carbon pricing, tax cuts are a serious option. To the Leader of the Opposition, I would say: what that means is that he has decided to go to the next election ripping assistance out of people's hands and taking money away from Australian families. Of course, we understand the cost-of-living pressures on Australian families and we will make the appropriate decisions to generously assist Australian families. (Time expired)

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