Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to her statement on ABC’s Q&A program last week that if she had won an outright majority at the election she would now be busy implementing an ETS. Has she now admitted that whether she had won the election outright or not she was already planning to break her election commitment to consult on an emissions trading scheme for at least 12 months through a citizens assembly.

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

I thank the Leader of the National Party for his question. Let me make the following things very clear to the Leader of the Nationals. I have always believed that climate change is real. That is my belief; that is the belief of the Labor Party. In answer to that belief, we accept the science. The Liberal Party and the Leader of the Opposition has on some days accepted the science and on other days rejected the science. He has accepted it some days; rejected it other days. On Alan Jones he rejects the science. If he is in front of a Canberra press gallery then he accepts the science. He has no belief in these questions because he just does not care about climate change and about this country’s future economic prosperity and future environment.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hockey interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the member for North Sydney has a point of order he comes to the dispatch box.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. It goes to relevance. I ask you to bring the Prime Minister back to the question that she was asked.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will listen closely to the Prime Minister. The requirement under the standing order is that she be directly relevant to the question.

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

I was asked about matters in the 2010 election. I am making it very clear that in the 2007 election and in the 2010 election Labor contested both elections saying to the Australian people, ‘Climate change is real; we need to price carbon. The best way of doing that is through an emissions trading scheme where you cap the amount of carbon pollution your economy can generate and you allow the market to generate the price.’ We said that to the Australian people in 2007. We said that to the Australian people in 2010. What is interesting about that 2007 election is that Prime Minister Howard said the same thing to the Australian people. He said exactly the same thing. And Prime Minister Howard had the guts to say to the Australian people that this would have price impacts for them. He had the guts to say to the Australian people that he would deal with those price impacts through assistance—that is, he was being honest and clear with the Australian people about the nature of the problem and the required solution.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

In contrast to that we have the current position of the Leader of the Opposition who says, about climate change, what he thinks the audience is going to endorse, not what he believes in, because he does not care enough about the issue to have any convictions about the issue.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hockey interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney will remove himself from the chamber for one hour under standing order 94(a).

The member for North Sydney then left the chamber.

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

In the 2010 election I said to the Australian people that we needed to price carbon and that we needed to get to an emissions trading scheme—and we will. I also indicated that I wanted to take the Australian people with us—and we will take the Australian people with us. There are mechanisms for the Australian people to engage with this debate, and we invite them to do so.

Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Van Manen interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Forde will remove himself from the chamber for one hour.

The member for Forde then left the chamber.

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

The mechanisms for the community to engage in this debate include through the Climate Commission led by Tim Flannery. People will also be able to engage with Professor Garnaut, who continues to make very important contributions to our national debate and our national stream of information about climate change through his papers. The most recent one was released late last week, and I would commend it to people. So my answer is of course that we want the community to come with us on this journey. They understand climate change is real and they want to see action, and we will be explaining that action to them. You, of course, will be mired in denial and fear because that is what the coalition does.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will direct her remarks through the chair.