Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency) Share this | Hansard source

Five years ago, as a member of cabinet, John Howard committed this country to pricing carbon through an emissions trading scheme supported by the current Leader of the Opposition. In 2009, under Malcolm Turnbull's leadership, the member for Wentworth's leadership of the Liberal Party, the government and the coalition agreed on an emissions trading scheme to introduce a price on carbon in this country. If you are talking about deceit, if you are talking about integrity, if you are talking about betrayal—all issues raised by the Leader of the Opposition—then they rest right over there.

It was in our national interest to pass that legislation at that time. It was agreed to by both major political parties in this country as being in our national interest, and the Leader of the Opposition betrayed his then leader over that policy issue. In a gutless act of political opportunism—he won by one vote—he defeated Malcolm Turnbull, the Leader of the Liberal Party, over that particular issue. Ever since, what we have seen has been deceit, fraud and mendacity with claim after claim after claim on this issue—deceit in relation to electricity prices and deceit in relation to the impact of bringing a carbon price into the economy—culminating in that most deceitful of claims that the Leader of the Opposition intends to repeal this particular measure which is in our interest.

Dr Jensen interjecting—

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