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

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The member for Gilmore has asked me a question about the steel industry and job security and carbon pricing. At the end of the day, when we deal with carbon pricing and we deal with jobs for Australian workers, we have to come back to first principles about what will create the most prosperous clean energy economy we can have in the future. We on this side of the parliament believe as we create a clean energy economy that polluters should pay, not Australian families. We believe that money should go to support Australian families; you believe in taking it away from Australian families. We believe in protecting Australian jobs and seeing a future of prosperity with a clean energy economy; the Liberal Party has never believed in protecting Australian jobs. You cannot have concern about job security and be a supporter of Work Choices.

The choices here are simple—we want to cut carbon pollution; you would see it rise. We want polluters to pay; you would see families pay. We want to give money to Australian families; you want to take it from them. We want to protect Australian jobs; you have never shown the slightest concern for job security. The member for Gilmore might want to reflect on that when she considers the future for Australian workers.

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