Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Fifield said at the start of his speech that he was disappointed. I am also disappointed, at the attitude and the approach that, once again, the Liberal and National Party senators are taking in this chamber to try to delay and to stall action on climate change. I speak to support the Selection of Bills Committee's report. It is a sensible, reasonable and responsible approach to the bills and to the debate.

The opposition has spoken to amend the report so that the bills of the clean energy package are referred to various legislation committees for inquiries that would not conclude until next year. This is simply an attempt by the opposition senators to delay consideration of the legislation. They are hiding behind the rhetoric of scrutiny of legislation to delay these bills in the Senate when the cost of delay is so great to our economy and environment. It is worth reiterating just how much parliamentary scrutiny these bills have had in the past 12 months and how much consideration has been given to the issue of a price on carbon. It has been considered by parliamentary inquiries over the past 20 years. I will repeat that: the parliament has been considering the issue of climate change and our response to climate change for 20 years. During that time there have been no fewer than 36 parliamentary committee inquiries looking into the issue of climate change and the policy responses. This number increases to 37 inquiries if we include the current joint parliamentary inquiry looking into the clean energy package of legislation.

These inquiries have led to a vast accumulation of facts and all inquiries have led to the same conclusion—that a price on carbon is the best way of addressing climate change. Putting a price on carbon is at the heart of the clean energy package. In the past 12 months, a parliamentary committee has developed the proposals containing the clean energy package. Exposure drafts of the legislation were available many months ago.