Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

If we were to listen to Senator Abetz we would believe that the sky was falling with the introduction of the carbon tax and clean energy bills which were introduced into the House of Representatives today. However, I do think that this is a very momentous day. That is the only point upon which I agree with Senator Abetz, because the Clean Energy Future package as we see it and know it will see so much change in Australia. Every one of us knows, as we have been debating this issue of climate change for decades, that tackling climate change is critical from an environmental perspective, an economic perspective and a social perspective.

Senator Boswell interjecting—

I certainly do believe it, Senator; I do indeed. We know, from the world's scientists, that climate change is real and that we must reduce our carbon pollution. We know we have to take these steps and we know that the cheapest way of doing it is to create this market based mechanism of putting a price on carbon. But the opposition would have us believe that there is no such thing as needing to have a price on carbon. That is why we heard questions from the opposition today suggesting, as they were, that 500 businesses, the 500 biggest polluters here, deserved to be able to continue polluting for free and that the rest of Australia should actually pay the price of carbon pollution. So the Clean Energy Future package that was introduced in the House of Representatives today is incredibly significant for all of Australia. It puts a price on carbon to be paid by those biggest polluters while providing assistance to householders and small businesses. And it is going to be the package that drives fundamental reform in our economy. It will invest in clean energy and it will invest in jobs for the future, and the scaremongering that goes on about the fact that we are going to lose jobs in Australia does not recognise that Australia is the most innovative country in creating clean energy jobs.

What the opposition would have us believe about their approach to climate change, direct action, contradicts and confuses and misinforms. The people who have been trying to use their briefing packs—the coalition members out in their electorates—have been trying to explain what the direct action package is going to produce for Australia and have actually been getting so confused by the whole issue. The clean energy package is the right way to go. We are here ready to debate it. Senator Brandis was challenging the fact, saying that that was going to be pushed through the parliament. We are going to be sitting an extra two weeks to enable that debate to continue and we will make sure—as to those people who need to have their say, and we will be looking forward to some constructive contributions to that debate—that this issue is debated fairly. The establishment of a joint select committee on this issue, to investigate and consider the package of bills that were introduced, will allow people to have their say. It will allow the citizens of Australia to understand the implications of this comprehensive package and it will allow them to see and to hear, from those who are most intimately involved in this package, that there will be more than a million and a half jobs created in this country over the period to 2020 on the basis of what we have been bringing into the parliament today, with almost three-quarters of a million jobs created by the Labor government since we came into office. These are the things that we need to ensure that this government produces for all of us as part of the broader economic agenda that we have here. Take the major shifts that are happening in our economy now. We need to be part of those. Take the major shifts that are happening in the global economy. We need to be part of those. We need to be engaged in all this. We need to build the climate change agenda into everything that is happening here. So reforming our training system, reforming our economic system and our regulatory system, investing in the NBN and ensuring that we can have smart, clean jobs in our regions are all part of a broader economic strategy.

The other important point that we bring to the debate today is the way in which the Clean Energy Future package will compensate people impacted by the carbon tax. Nine out of 10 households will receive a combination of tax cuts. (Time expired)