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

On 27 November 2009 these words were spoken before the election by the Leader of the Opposition: 'You can't have a climate change policy without supporting this ETS at this time.' The Leader of the Opposition's track record, time after time on any given day, is to say what he thinks is in his political interest. Well, climate change is too profound a challenge to our planet and to our nation for him to wake up in the morning and work out, as the Leader of the Opposition does, what he thinks is in his narrow political interest that day. What we have to do, in cutting carbon pollution, is deal with the nation's interest, day after day after day, and the nation's interest requires us, with a high-carbon pollution emissions economy, to start the journey now towards a clean energy future. It requires us to do that in the most cost-effective way and, of course, the most cost-effective way is by putting a price on carbon. Now the Leader of the Opposition, day after day in this place, makes the mistake that if you bellow loud enough people will think you are right. Of course, what shows you are right is that you are prepared to step up and deal with the challenges of the future. Many members of his own political party are challenging him to do that and he should heed their calls. As he heeds their calls he should remember his own words and perhaps be guided by them: 'An emissions trading scheme probably is the best way to put a price on carbon'—never a truer word was spoken and the author: Tony Abbott.

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