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

I thank the member for Greenway for her question. To the member for Greenway and to all of my colleagues I say the following. To the people of Australia I say the following. We have debated climate change in this parliament and beyond for more than 10 years. There have been reports. There have been inquiries. There have been debates. There have been votes over a long period of time. When you look at all of those inquiries and all of those reports, when you look at what the scientists have had to say, when you look at what the economists and experts have had to say, some things become blindingly clear.

I believe after all of that debate the vast majority of Australians belie ve that climate change is real. The vast majority of Australians believe it is caused by carbon pollution made by human beings. The majority of Australians want to see that carbon pollution reduced. The majority of Australians want to see action on climate change. Across all of those reports and inquiries, what has also become clear is that the cheapest way to seize a clean energy future is to put a price on carbon pollution, to make sure that the biggest polluters pay. That is the cheapest way to change our economy so it is a cleaner economy with clean energy. After all of those words, after all of those committee reports, after all of those inquiries, today this House of Representatives moved from words to deeds. It has moved from what has sometimes been a rancorous debate to action. This House of Representatives today, this parliament today, has seized the future. This parliament today has grabbed the future with both hands. That future will be one about clean energy jobs, it will be about a better environment, it will be about cutting taxes and increasing pensions and it will be about making sure our country is not left behind as the world moves to a clean energy future.

To my Labor colleagues I say I am proud of their courage and fortitude in this debate, and they too in turn can be proud that this is a reform with Labor values right at its heart. This is a reform in the Labor tradition of Medicare and superannuation. This is a reform hotly contested at the time, but like Labor reforms of the past—like the Labor reforms of Medicare and superannuation—they are the reforms that have built the nation we are proud to live in today. History will record that a clean energy future started today with this vote. I thank members of parliament who have had the courage to seize this future for their fortitude. They have made an important decision for the nation, an important decision that will see us cut carbon pollution, that will see us cut taxes, that will see us increase pensions, that will see us protect Australian jobs and that will see us lock in a growth of 1.6 million jobs by 2020 and strong economic growth. This is a reform to shape the future. It has taken determination, and today we have got this done.

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