Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Joyce for his ongoing interest in this issue. The senator is quoting, I think, from one of six updates that Professor Garnaut has made to his report, and I would again emphasise that these are reports which the government has sought at the request of members of parliament in the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee. They are intended to inform the debate on what is an important public policy issue. Unlike those opposite, we believe that climate change is real and that something needs to be done about it. Unlike those opposite, we are determined to ensure that we work through the various policy issues associated with this very difficult public policy problem through the multiparty committee and more generally.

Professor Garnaut’s reports are a contribution to that discussion, a contribution which is important and that goes to a whole range of issues. Coverage is one of them, but also, more recently, we heard discussion about the means by which assistance to households can be delivered. We had discussion of what sort of assistance should be provided to industry by way of transition. These are all issues that Professor Garnaut has expressed a view on. They are not issues as yet that the government has made final decisions on. As Minister Combet has said, we will work through this process dealing with the various policy questions that present themselves when you look to put a price on carbon. On the carbon-farming initiative, that was an election policy announcement. Senator Ludwig— (Time expired)