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

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I was asked about my statement about cutting emissions from cars, and I have been talking about the government's policies to do just that. I have just explained to the member for Higgins, who directed the question to me, that we have acted on fringe benefits tax anomalies that got people to drive their cars further, generating carbon pollution for no reason. We are acting in accordance with our election commitment on mandatory standards in 2015. We have acted by working with the Australian car industry so that we can support Australian jobs and so that people can have the choice of supporting the Australian industry whilst purchasing for themselves a greener vehicle. Many people did not like the fact that the only way to access a greener vehicle was to buy something that was built overseas. They wanted to support the jobs of Australian car workers. We continue with that commitment to supporting Australian jobs through our more than $5 billion investment in our new-car plan. It is that investment that the Leader of the Opposition wants to slash, slashing support for the Australian car industry.

To the member for Higgins I make the following suggestion. There are, of course, various ways of conducting an emissions trading scheme and various coverage arrangements. The member for Higgins worked for the former Treasurer, Peter Costello, who was very determined for the design of an emissions trading scheme to include petrol. Indeed, he said, 'If you want to encourage people to use less petrol in their cars, one of the consequences of that is that petrol will become less affordable. This is all part of responding to carbon emissions.' So who is the real member for Higgins—the economic rationalist who worked for Peter Costello or the member who follows the relentless negativity and economic vandalism of the Leader of the Opposition? I would be very interested in the answer.

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