Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Hansard source

It is interesting. Senator Bernardi keeps interjecting. I assume he will have some time to speak in the debate if he wishes, and the government can yet again get up and say, ‘Look, we are doing all these things.’ But do you know what? The Australian community understand you have not done anything. You have been in power for 11 years. You have been all over the shop when it comes to climate change and policies to tackle it. You were dragged kicking and screaming to an emissions trading regime which you only moved on, despite the fact that the industry minister ruled it out, because business and the community were ahead of you.

People understand the Howard government have only moved to look as if they are doing something about climate change because they are worried about the fact that they are out of touch with the community. You are only doing it because there is an election coming; you are not doing it because you believe in it. If you think the Australian people do not know that, go out and have a chat to them. They understand this is all about clever politics from the Howard government. It is not about actually believing this is an issue, because you have got form. You have been here for 11 years, and what have you done? You have dithered; you have denied; you have been sceptical; you have not acted. Now, before an election, when it becomes a major issue, all of a sudden the Senator Minchins put their heads down and everyone says, ‘Actually, we are going to do things,’ and what do you do? You say, ‘We have aspirational targets out of APEC,’ and you trumpet that as your big achievement.