Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

The Labor Party can hoot and shout. I know they are disappointed. I know it breaks their heart that the Minister for the Environment has a good policy that is working. It breaks their heart because it offends their ideology, but I say to the honourable members opposite: you cannot confuse the means with the end. The goal is to reduce emissions. There are many means to that end, and all of them have advantages and disadvantages in different contexts.

The environment minister has developed a policy, an Emissions Reduction Fund, which does not just work in theory; it is working in practice. It works in practice as well, and that offends the Leader of the Opposition. He is so upset, because he wants to have an uncosted environmental policy: 50 per cent renewables. How much will it cost? No idea! Good heavens, it is back to the NBN! It is as though Senator Conroy has become the environmental policy adviser for the Leader of the Opposition. Really, if the Leader of the Opposition seriously wants to lead this country, he should propose policies, whether in the environment or anywhere else, which are carefully thought through and costed.

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