Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you. I will take that interjection. It is arrogant in the extreme to think that Australia has to act first of those who have not already committed to a scheme before anybody else will. I just find that absolutely extraordinary.

Perhaps the minister might in a moment enlighten us as to the actual, practical steps that the Prime Minister is going to undertake to convince world leaders, particularly of our major trading partners, to not just commit to but—what was the word?—‘pledge’ action. People out there in our communities are smarter than that, and they want the rest of the world signed up before we do anything. They are not happy with the pledge. They do not want some words on some bit of paper and our government saying: ‘That is fine. They are going to do something.’ They want to see something concrete. They want to see legislation in those other countries before we sign up, because they know the devastating impact it will have on this country if we are doing it alone. So perhaps the minister could advise the chamber on exactly why it is that passing the legislation through the chamber this week will make those other countries, especially our major trading partners, around the world put something through their legislative processes.