Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

'Shakedown politics' are the Prime Minister's own words for states and territories desperately fighting off a health crisis. How does the Prime Minister described the Nationals, the junior coalition partner, dictating the terms for climate policy? What slick marketing term does the Prime Minister use to describe eight years of his government's inaction on this most critical issue? Perhaps the PM thought he could pass the buck because he's got a history of shirking responsibility. Now the Nationals are claiming that this deal can't be sorted out after only a four-hour party room meeting. They say it may take weeks or months. How about a decade? How about eight years of government inaction, three prime ministers and 21 energy policies? Is that long enough? Australia is now in the embarrassing situation where the Prime Minister is going to Glasgow, but he has no policy. 'Code red for humanity' is how the IPCC, the most authoritative body of climate scientists, has described the situation we are in, yet members of this government are talking about how we should all be willing to take a hit on our mortgages to supports fossil fuels and government funding of those industries. This is beyond a disgrace, absolutely beyond a disgrace. Australia should be a renewable energy superpower. The world is moving on, the market is moving on, but Australia is being left behind and Australian jobs will be left behind. Only a Labor government will take action, only a Labor government will end the climate— (Time expired)

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