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

To the Leader of the Opposition: I have answered questions like this in comparable terms from the opposition before. I would ask the Leader of the Opposition to direct his attention to the facts: that a number of economies have carbon pricing; to the fact that 850 million people live with carbon pricing; and to the fact that new nations are agreeing, in their domestic economies, to put a price on carbon. Nations such as the Republic of Korea have agreed in recent times to putting a price on carbon in their economy. We have also seen pilot programs being developed in provinces in China, and these are joining the scheme. Countries across the European Union and a number of American states—and of course we are talking about very sizeable economies—also have carbon pricing. And the list goes on.

On 1 July, when our nation moves to carbon pricing, we—more than 20 million of us—will join 850 million other people on our planet who live in economies with carbon pricing. People will of course see tax cuts, family payment increases and pension increases and a nation with a clean energy future. What they will not see at any point are any of the predictions of the Leader of the Opposition come true.

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