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

No amount of spin or use of insults from the Leader of the Opposition actually changes the facts. The Leader of the Opposition cannot come to that dispatch box and deny 850 million people live in economies with carbon pricing. He cannot do that. He cannot come to the dispatch box and deny that the Republic of Korea has just agreed to have an emissions trading scheme. He cannot come to that dispatch box and deny that in Europe nations have lived with carbon pricing for many, many years. And he cannot come to that dispatch box today and guarantee that his prophecies of doom will come true.

I would be very interested as to whether or not the Leader of the Opposition was prepared to clearly say in this parliament, 'Whyalla won't exist at the end of Sunday.' He said that publicly. Will he say it in here? Will he say in here that the coal industry will cease to exist on Sunday? Will he say in here that there will be astronomical price rises? Will he verify in here his statement that the nation will be in a permanent depression, that a wrecking ball will destroy our economy? The list goes on. No, of course he will not, because the Leader of the Opposition has been out there talking about snakes but actually peddling snake oil on carbon pricing.

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