Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware that in withdrawing from the 10-state emissions trading scheme in the United States—the scheme she has previously cited in support of her carbon tax—New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has said that the scheme 'does nothing more than tax electricity, tax our citizens and tax our businesses, with no discernible or measurable impact upon our environment'? Given that the Prime Minister won an election based on the promise of no carbon tax, when will she do the right thing and ask the Australian people whether they say yes to a carbon tax, by calling an election before its introduction?

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

I thank the member for Bradfield for his question. As I have already indicated to the House, I was in his electorate this morning talking to his constituents, who want to see action on climate change. And of course the most effective way of acting on climate change is to put a price on carbon paid by the big polluters so that they will change the way they operate their businesses and cut the amount of carbon pollution. We will then use that revenue to assist households to protect Australian jobs and to fund programs to tackle climate change and generate our clean energy future.

The member for Bradfield may want to consult his constituents about these questions and when he does he may want to say to them that he follows an opposition leader who denies the science of climate change and that fellow Liberals, who hold the same party ticket as the member for Bradfield, are disgusted by the continuing negativity of the Leader of the Opposition. They cannot believe that a man can be so empty and so hollow.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order in terms of relevance. The Prime Minister was asked a very specific question: is she aware that the New Jersey governor has withdrawn his state from a scheme she has previously cited?

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

There is no point of order.

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

As I said to the member for Bradfield, we are going to act on climate change and we are going to do it with full understanding about circumstances around the world. Yes, I am aware of the change that the member for Bradfield refers to. The governor is a Republican. He is from a sister political party, which would only make me conclude that when the sister political parties get together from across the world—Prime Minister David Cameron, standing for 50 per cent reductions in emissions by 2027; Arnold Schwarzenegger, now in the news for a few other matters, as the Governor of California, having stood for reducing carbon pollution; the Prime Minister of New Zealand, a conservative standing for an emissions trading scheme—it is going to be a pretty interesting discussion, isn't it? But the important thing that should come out of that discussion is that conservatives like David Cameron have had the foresight to say to their people, 'Climate change is real.'

I believe that; David Cameron believes that; the Leader of the Opposition does not. We need to get on by cutting carbon pollution. I believe that; the Leader of the Opposition does not. The most efficient way of cutting carbon pollution is to put a price on it. I believe that; the Leader of the Opposition does not. As we transition to a cleaner energy future, I believe in assisting Australian households; the Leader of the Opposition does not. He believes in putting additional taxes on their shoulders so that he can take that money and pay it to the big polluters as a subsidy. I am very happy to keep arguing for a positive path to address climate change.