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

I am unsurprised by the interjections, because those on the other side are led by someone who does not believe climate change is real. In this chamber the opposition is dominated by individuals who do not believe climate change is real. We have on one side the CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology and the world’s respected climate scientists—but no, on the other side, the opposition know different. We know that Mr Abbott’s approach is somewhat confusing. It seems to change depending on who he is speaking to. On 14 March Mr Abbott said:

... whether carbon dioxide is quite the environmental villain that some people make it out to be is not yet proven.

He also said:

I don’t think we can say that the science is settled here.

Then two days later Mr Abbott said:

... climate change is real. Mankind does contribute to it.

And today Mr Abbott goes and addresses a rally which has signs such as ‘Carbon dioxide is not pollution. I love CO2’ and ‘CO2 is a harmless trace gas, you fraudulent criminals’. People are entitled to express those views—we disagree with them—but these are the sorts of views that the opposition is now lining up behind. (Time expired)