Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind her that today is the anniversary of her notorious statement that 'there will be no carbon tax under the government I lead'. Does she believe that it is acceptable to say one thing to win votes but to do the exact opposite to stay in the Lodge? Will she now defer the carbon tax till after an election so that all Australians and not just the Greens can have their say on this bad tax?

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

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his very predictable question. Here we go again. The nation, of course, is facing turbulent economic times. It is the intention of the government to manage the economy now, to keep the economy strong and also to enact the reforms today that we need to have to ensure that the economy is strong for the future. In order to do that, we need to put a price on carbon to realise the clean energy future, the clean energy jobs and the innovation that this country should have.

Working here with the parliament that the people have voted for, during this parliamentary session we will present legislation to put a price on carbon: a fixed price for the first three years, moving to an emissions trading scheme. The impact of putting that price on carbon will be that we cut carbon pollution; that we see an increase in the use of clean energy; that we see all of the jobs and innovation which will come with that increased use of clean energy; and that we will cut taxes, increase pensions and increase family payments. We will ensure that we take the positive action necessary to seize that clean energy future for our nation.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My supplementary question is to the Prime Minister. If this is what the Prime Minister really thinks, why wasn't she honest about it before the last election? If the Prime Minister will not call an election, will she at least apologise for trying to win the last election on the basis of an ugly lie?

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

Past practice would have me asking the Leader of the Opposition to reconstruct the last part of his question. On the basis of those past practices, I ask the Leader of the Opposition to reframe the last part of the question.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, to assist you and the House, I ask: will the Prime Minister now apologise for trying to win the last election on the basis of a falsehood?

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

At the last election campaign I spoke to the Australian people about needing to put a price on carbon. I spoke to them about an emissions trading scheme. I actually spoke to them about the same things that John Howard had spoken to the Australian people about in the 2007 election. Yes, of course I am well aware of what I said during the election campaign, and when I said the words that the Leader of the Opposition has referred to in this place and beyond I meant every word of it.

Then, following the election campaign, as Prime Minister, I faced up to an important choice for the Australian people. This is the parliament the Australian people voted for, and I had an opportunity in this parliament to ensure that we put a price on carbon, that we seized the clean energy future and we cut carbon pollution. When I made the decision to put that price on carbon—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. I have asked her for an apology, and some statement of regret would surely be appropriate given the fact that millions of Australians voted on the basis of a statement which turned out to be untrue.

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

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Prime Minister has the call. She will respond directly to the question.

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

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. So I made a decision, a determination, that the best thing for the nation's future was to put a price on carbon and to get through this parliament—indeed, this minority parliament—a reform that eluded this parliament during a period of majority government in the last term. I did that because I believe climate change is real. I have accepted the advice of the scientists; I have accepted the advice of the economists about the most efficient way of ensuring that we have a clean energy future.

So, yes, I take responsibility for having made that decision. I understand that that has caused disappointment amongst many and I accept that too. But you get elected to this position to make the tough decisions that are important for the nation's future. You do not get elected to this position to sit there and say no to everything. You do not get elected to this position so that you can say yes to everyone who presents to you, even if that means that you go around the nation—

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The Prime Minister has the call. She will be heard in silence, and it is on the basis that people can actually listen.

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

As I was saying, you get elected to this position in order to take decisions, many of them very tough decisions—but they are decisions that need to be taken for the nation's future. You get elected to this position on the basis that you have got the preparedness to go and say things to people that they may not necessarily want to hear. You cannot, when you are elected to this position, just agree with someone on radio, then agree with someone walking down the street, agree with someone in a meeting and then agree with a journalist who rings you up for an interview and actually say different things to all of those people. What you have to do in this position is make the decisions necessary for the nation's future and have the determination to implement them and the courage to argue for them, and that is what I intend to do.