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

With a price on carbon, we will see a strong economic future for our country—and, of course, that economic future will be strengthened because we will seize the clean energy sources of the future.

I would remind the member who asked the question, and I know that there are often attempts by the opposition to obscure this part of the debate, that most days of the week there is actually a bipartisan target between both sides of politics to cut carbon pollution by five per cent by 2020. Some days of the week the Leader of the Opposition walks away from it, but most days of the week he endorses it. Consequently, in this whole debate we are asking ourselves two questions: when to start and how to do it? Well, I am for starting soon and doing it in the most cheap way possible. You are for starting late and doing it in the most expensive way possible.

You come into this parliament with challenges about economic prosperity. Well, let me be very, very clear. The worst possible thing we could do for the Australian economy is start late, with expensive abatement, and then put on an extra tax of $1,300 per household to pay for it—your plan. We will keep with our plan: starting on 1 July, doing it in the cheapest possible way, a growing economy and more jobs.

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