Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

That is where the Liberal Party has got to on all this stuff. Senator Sterle was accused of not paying attention to Senator Abetz’s intellectual contribution. I defy anyone to defend his contribution as being intellectual. It was the junior student politician attack—the same old style with no substance.

The Labor Party actually thinks this is a serious global issue. We think climate change presents a real threat to both our climate and our economy. We think there needs to be a serious public policy debate. That is why we have pursued that debate for a number of years now and why in government we have sought to bring about fundamental change to the way in which we price carbon in our economy in order to drive a cleaner economy, in order to transform the economy into a cleaner power economy. It is a shame that again from the Liberal Party we have no policy, just slogans. I think it is interesting that the Liberal government of John Howard recognised that this was a problem. He said:

Significantly reducing emissions will mean higher costs for businesses and households. There is no escaping that and anyone who pretends to you otherwise is not a serious participant in this hugely important public policy debate.

John Howard said that at the Liberal Party Federal Council meeting in June 2007. His critique of your current position is that ‘anyone who pretends to you otherwise is not a serious participant in this hugely important public policy debate’. So your own former Prime Minister condemns your current position.

We know the Liberal Party have come a long way since John Howard was defeated as Prime Minister. It is amazing to think they have gone further to the right, but unfortunately they have. One of the reasons they have gone further to the right is the injection of far-right-wing senators into their little party room—more of that on another day.