Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

but, if you look at the opposition, they had 11½ years to put some runs on the board and failed to do so. The interjections from those opposite I find quite interesting. The government are committed to ensuring that the benefits and costs of emissions trading are spread fairly across the community. The government will take a careful and deliberate approach to finalising the scheme design, drawing on many sources of advice to achieve the best-quality policy outcomes.

We heard the sudden compassion that senators have espoused in this debate, so let’s go back to the real legacy of the former Howard Liberal-National government. They left us with the worst skill shortage this country has ever experienced. They did nothing about skilling up Australian workers. Their quick-fix solution was to import workers and undermine Australian workers in their workplace.