Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

Well, that is what she said last week. But last night it was a very different story, when we saw the improbable spectacle of Senator Heffernan and Senator Joyce joining with the Greens to oppose the very same measure their parties were pleased to support just a few days before. So the opposition is not flip-flopping on emissions trading because the circumstance has changed; it is flip-flopping because it is totally divided on this, as it is on so many issues. This is a recipe for killing investment, killing prosperity and killing jobs in this country. The introduction of an emissions-trading scheme will be a truly momentous change, and it is essential that business has a well-defined pathway forward. The government is providing that pathway. We are consulting widely and taking on board what we have learned from Treasury modelling, from the Garnaut review, from business and from the community.

The government will soon release a green paper on the design of the emissions-trading scheme. Our first budget included $2.3 billion for climate change initiatives. As well as the ETS, we are also looking at promoting investment in energy efficient technologies and green production processes. Senator Hogg would know that the previous government, towards the end of their reign, actually acknowledged that this was a good idea. But that was last year. This year, the now opposition oppose low emissions technologies such as the Toyota Camry hybrid. Business needs certainty to invest in retooling. It needs certainty to invest in research and development, and it needs certainty as to what the government will deliver. It is uncertainty that the opposition is peddling. (Time expired)