Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the same matter. Senator Birmingham takes us back to the period before the last election, and I think it would be fruitful in this debate to contemplate what occurred at the last election. The government got a very clear mandate to act on climate change. We got a very clear mandate to act in relation to the Kyoto policy—and the Australian general public at large does recall what happened under the Howard government in relation to Kyoto.

In this debate we confront opposition senators demonstrating once again, as Senator Forshaw said, that stripped to the bone they are actually climate change sceptics and will grapple for and use every opportunity they can to revert to that position. The Rudd government does accept that we are confronting a global financial crisis. We have acted early and with strength. But for the opposition now to use every indication of industry instability to argue that that relates to our plans on climate change and that all efforts here should be stalled is clearly irresponsible. They are irresponsible in the sense that the minister referred to in question time but they are irresponsible for other reasons as well.

Yes, Australia is demonstrating leadership on climate change. Since ratifying the Kyoto protocol, the Prime Minister, ministers and senior officers have worked through key, high-level forums to drive multilateral negotiations on a post-2012 agreement, and this will continue. We accept that any post-2012 approach will need to secure the widespread agreement of countries with diverse interests and entrenched positions. But the opposition’s suggestion that the global financial crisis is a reason to just back off is irresponsible because it does not take into account the implications of no action in relation to climate change. The impacts of climate change will have serious consequences for our coastal regions, for ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef, for agricultural industries, for wildlife and for communities that are reliant on these assets.

To suggest that the absence of the opposition’s preferred modelling from Treasury is a reason to highlight that the Rudd government is responsible for the loss of jobs—if you were to listen to opposition senators in this debate today, you might as well accept that we are responsible for the global financial crisis as a whole. So it is not surprising, as Senator Johnston complained, that there are some suggestions that the opposition need to be very careful about talking down the Australian economy.

The Rudd Labor government and Senator Wong have highlighted on countless occasions in this place that we are taking a responsible and measured approach to how we proceed in relation to carbon pollution reduction. This responsible approach is in sheer contrast to what occurred under the previous government. We have a very clear mandate. The opposition have made no suggestions, other than through debates like the one today—trying to drum them up—that the global financial crisis is a reason to stagnate. It is not a reason to stagnate. As Senator Forshaw highlighted, the car plan is an example of how we can be responsible in terms of industry policy but also in terms of carbon reduction at the same time. I would encourage opposition senators to contemplate that they can multitask on some of these issues. Some of these policy issues are areas where, as a nation, we can accept our clear role of leadership and the clear mandate received in the last election. We can do two things at the same time.

I fear that, for the opposition, the global financial crisis will become an excuse for not doing many, many things. We might as well have heard that the problems around ABC Learning Centres are related to problems with climate change. That will be the next suggestion to come out of the opposition. It is ludicrous to suggest that every industry failure is now going to be a result of our plans in relation to carbon pollution reduction or emissions trading. (Time expired)