Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That so much of standing orders be suspended to allow the Leader of the Opposition to address the House for no longer than three minutes on whether he believes in climate change.

Mr Tudge interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Aston will leave the chamber under 94(a). If anybody else wishes to slam the standing orders and denigrate this parliament any further, feel free—you will be joining the member for Aston. I give that as a general warning to everybody.

The question is that the motion moved by the Leader of the House be agreed to

Question agreed to.

Leader of the Opposition has the call.

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

I do welcome the opportunity to briefly put on record the coalition's position in this area. We accept the science that says that something is happening to our planet. We accept that—we always have, we always will.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I gave a warning not more than five seconds ago!

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

The question is not whether or not our climate is impacted by human activity—clearly there is a human impact on our climate. The question is: how is it best dealt with? The government believes that it should be dealt with with a great big new tax; the coalition believes that it should be dealt with by direct action measures—more trees, better soils, smarter technology. That will actually reduce our domestic emissions by five per cent by 2020. That is the big difference. Our Direct Action policy will actually reduce domestic emissions by five per cent; the government's will not. Under the government's policy, despite a carbon tax—a crippling carbon tax—forecast by the government's own modelling to reach $37 a tonne by 2020, Australia's domestic emissions do not decrease; they increase from 578 million tonnes to 621 million tonnes.

I welcome this opportunity which the Leader of the House, in his genius—in his tactical brilliance—has given me to point out just what the government's policy is doing. It is clobbering our economy and it is increasing emissions. What genius from members opposite! They only achieve their five per cent reduction by purchasing some 100 million tonnes from the foreign carbon traders. That is what they are doing. It is a $3½ billion gift to the foreign carbon traders—$3½ billion that the consumers of Australia will pay because of this government's policies. The choice is clear: you can have good environmental protection under the coalition or you can have a great big new tax and a worse environment under the government.

Opposition members interjecting—

Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health Services and Indigenous Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

More, more!

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bowman will leave the chamber under 94(a). That behaviour is not acceptable in this chamber.

The member for Bowman then left the chamber.

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

Madam Speaker, I am happy to take further questions in this chamber.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat! Can I actually ask people, genuinely, to maybe once in a while read a standing order. It would be highly entertaining for anybody to understand what is actually in those standing orders.