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

I think it is necessary to remind the opposition that the vast majority of economists understand the best way to spur the action necessary to both preserve our environment and remain competitive in a low-emission future is the package currently before the Senate. It is necessary also to remind the opposition that the overall architecture of the clean energy package is similar to the emissions trading scheme that the coalition, under the direction of John Howard, once were in favour of and supportive of. To come in here and continue to be so negative and fear mongering and misleading in relation to the package in front of you has to be for no other reason than for political gain, for gain in the poll, for trying to ensure that you are misleading the public in the hope of votes rather than actually standing for anything on principle or standing for anything of meaning when it comes to this important piece of reform.

We know that Senator Cormann, for example, is not a senator of principle anymore since his backflip from being supportive in 2007 of the CPRS or an ETS to now not being so.