Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I start by acknowledging and thanking Senator Wong for the information, the education and the conviction that she gave in her answers in question time today on issues relating to our clean energy bills and in relation to climate change. However, what we know on this side of the chamber is that the opposition continues to oppose everything in relation to clean energy and climate change despite the science, despite the activity in our global economy and despite what is happening in other countries introducing their own emissions trading schemes. Instead, the opposition would prefer to continue to run scare campaigns that will do nothing to move Australia's economy into a transformed, clean energy economy, will do nothing for prosperity and will do nothing to ensure that we are playing our part in the global arena, both environmentally and economically, in relation to climate change—something that, as I said, the science is clear on and something that needs our action.

We believe in moving Australia forward into a clean energy economy. We believe in that important transformation that needs to take place. That is why, like the rest of the globe, Australia will have a price on clean energy goods and services, to ensure that we have a competitive economy with the rest of the globe in relation to clean energy. That relates very much to manufacturing, as Senator Cormann touched on, in his most negative fashion, just previously. That is because manufacturing is an important component in our transformation to a clean energy economy. That is why the Clean Energy Future package includes extensive support for Australia's manufacturing industry—a $9.2 billion Jobs and Competitiveness Program which will shield heavy industry sectors like steelmaking, aluminium production and glass and paper manufacturing from the carbon price and support jobs in Australia. On top of that, it will provide an additional $300 million for steel transformation, with a Steel Transformation Plan to provide extra assistance for steelmakers in this transformation to a clean energy future.

This is an incredibly important week. We have not had our chance yet in this place to debate the clean energy bills, but this week in the House of Representatives they will be doing just that. They will be voting this week on the government's Clean Energy Future legislation, which will let us get on with the job of tackling climate change, playing our role as a nation by putting a price on carbon so that we can ensure that we can play a competitive role, along with other nations, including the European Union, with an emissions trading scheme. The legislation that we will get to debate in here puts the price tag on only around 500 of our biggest polluters, and every cent of the revenue raised will be used to assist households, to support jobs and competitiveness and to invest in clean energy and climate change programs.

These are good things that are coming out of putting a price on carbon, something that the opposition continue to simply ignore. They do not want to know about the good things that come about from these clean energy bills. They do not want to admit and accept that what we have here in this significant reform for this nation will in fact be good for people, good for the environment, good for the climate and good for our Australian economy as we play the role that we need to in a globally competitive environment.

Some of those good things include assisting households with tax cuts and raising the tax-free threshold to $18½ thousand—something that will benefit thousands upon thousands of low-income Australians. That is a really good thing that is coming out of these clean energy bills. On top of that, we are increasing family payments and raising pensions and allowances—another good thing that the Gillard Labor government are doing for people in these bills. Not only is this package good for people and for the economy but it is also— (Time expired)