Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications and Cyber Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday the former Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said that the Morrison-Joyce government is 'caught in this vice' of this really strong group of climate denialists who, basically, 'don't take global warming seriously'. How can Australians trust the Prime Minister will deliver on anything that he announces on emissions reductions this week?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Because, under our government's policies, emissions are coming down and jobs are going up. That's the outcome of our policies. That is the exact outcome of our policies—policies that we put in place not just under my time but also, indeed, my predecessor's time and former Prime Minister Abbott's. Under three Prime Ministers, we have been putting in place the policies to ensure that we shore up the reliability of our energy supply and put downward pressure on electricity prices. We got rid of, under Prime Minister Abbott, the carbon tax, which was legislated by those opposite, which put prices up. We got rid of that, as we promised to do, and there'll never be a carbon price under this government. But I notice, according to Senator Gallagher, that it's back on the table for the Labor Party. It's back on the table because they want to tell people what they have to do and they want to price people into what they want them to do.

We have a greater level of confidence about what Australians want to do, the choices they want to make and the choices we want to enable, whether it's getting into their first home or what type of car they want to buy. Even if they want to get vaccinated, we don't think they have to be bribed to do it by those opposite and the policies that they put forward. We have great faith in Australians. We have great faith that they are making the choices which are good for them and their family. The policies that we're putting in place to enable their choices will continue to see emissions come down. They will continue to see new technologies develop. They will continue to see more consumer choice available and Australia continue to achieve in this area.

There will be many who will go to the conference in Glasgow and make great, bold commitments, but very few will be able to go there and say, 'Kyoto 1, done; Kyoto 2, done; Paris, we will meet and we will beat.' That is our record. Our emissions reductions exceed those of Canada, of New Zealand and of the United States. Our record is getting emissions down and putting downward pressure on electricity prices. The record of those opposite is that they drove electricity prices up with their carbon taxes and they made Australians pay for their policies. On this side of the House, our policies are about taking the burdens off. Our policies are about doing the right thing by rural and regional Australia and households so they can have the choices they want to have so they can plan for their future with confidence. Those opposite want to sign Australia up with a blank cheque and no plan and make Australians pay for it.