Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

The opposition is seeking to pretend that Australia is rushing ahead in the global fight against climate change. That is a bit like trying to claim that Australia won the Ashes. We have a situation where Australia is, in fact, falling behind in the race to develop clean technology solutions and clean energy solutions. Countries around the world are transforming their industries to the realities of the 21st century at a much faster rate than we are in this country. We now have a situation where emissions trading schemes operate in some 27 countries of the EU, in New Zealand and, of course, in many parts of the United States. Carbon taxes are being applied in Britain, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Canada and India. We are seeing it in Japan and South Africa. We are seeing whole new approaches being taken to ensure that their economies—(Time expired)