Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Acting Deputy President. As I was saying, there are some in this place who appear to believe that this nation is so irrelevant that what we do on climate change does not matter—well, you are wrong. Indeed, an article in today’s Wall Street Journal describes Australia’s action on climate change as a case study for where the action is overseas. To others who look to developed nations like Australia to take leadership on climate change and to the Australian people, who have made it clear that they want action on climate change, on behalf of the government I have one simple message: these bills may be going down today, but this is not the end. We may lose this vote, but this issue will not go away, because we on this side understand Australia cannot afford for climate change action to be unfinished business, and we will not let it be.

Other senators may fail to take the responsibility on climate change, but this government is not going to give up. We will press forward and on with this reform for as long as we have to. We will bring these bills back before the end of the year because it is the right thing to do. We will bring these bills back before the end of this year because it is the responsible thing to do. We will bring these bills back before the end of the year because we on this side understand we have to start the economic transformation we need. We will bring these bills back before the end of the year because, if we do not, this nation goes to Copenhagen with no means to deliver our targets. If we do not, the message to Copenhagen would be that Australia is once again going backwards on climate change.

This Senate is supposed to represent the Australian people. The question for every senator in this place who votes today for Australia’s carbon pollution to keep rising will be this: are you really doing what the Australian people want? Australians expect this government to deliver on climate change and Australians will expect the Senate to do the same—and it should. It is important for all of us to remember this: the chance for us to avoid any climate change at all is gone; it is lost to us. What we do have is a window to lessen its impact. We have a window to reduce the risk, and that is a window of opportunity which is closing.

That is why we will bring these bills back. We will give this Senate the opportunity to do better. We will give this Senate the opportunity to do the right thing. We will give this Senate the opportunity to do what Australians expect it to do. That is what the Senate should do, because anything less shows an arrant disregard for the demands of Australians today and the inheritance of Australians tomorrow. I commend these bills to the Senate.

Question put:

That the amendment (Senator Milne’s) be agreed to.