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

I regret all the effort I made my staff go into preparing me for question time this week in terms of an understanding of the detail of the budget, because it clearly has been wasted work.

The government is committed to achieving a price mechanism on carbon. We are committed to reducing pollution in our economy. We are committed to trying to reduce that pollution, reduce the damage to the environment and have an economic framework for tackling carbon pollution. This objective has been pursued by this government through both its first and second term. On this occasion we formed a multi-party climate change committee which is trying to work through the details of a proposition to bring before the parliament to put a price on carbon. That is the commit­ment of this government. We have set about that work. That is progressing well. The minister responsible, Mr Combet, is engaging with industry, trade unions, comm­unity members, climate change experts, economists—the whole breadth of people with an interest in this issue—to try to work towards a model that will be acceptable in the broader community and acceptable to the parliament. That work is going well and it will continue.