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

Madam Deputy Speaker, thank you. I was making the point that having a mechanism of carbon pricing, as the shadow Treasurer well knows, is always the most efficient approach as compared to the wasteful policy with higher cost that the Leader of the Opposition has committed his political party to. On prices around the world, the average EU price over the past four financial years comes in directly at A$23 a tonne. Over the next few years the Climate Institute expects Britain will have a carbon price of $24 to $30 a tonne; Sweden will have a price of $130 a tonne; Switzerland, $30 to $60 a tonne; Norway, $53 a tonne; Ireland, $24 to $37 a tonne—and the list goes on. And of course, as the shadow Treasurer would well know, we are seeing moves to emissions trading schemes in our region, including the recent decision by the Republic of Korea to move to an emissions trading scheme, the trialling of emissions trading schemes in provinces in China, and the list goes on. I say to the shadow Treasurer: he ought not to risk his own reputation by joining the Leader of the Opposition in this stupid, cynical, negative fear campaign. He has in the past stood up for carbon pricing; he should have the integrity to do it now.

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