Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

An hour and a half after history has been made here we are again. The tired old opposition is still trying to resist something that is going to protect our environment, create clean energy jobs for our future and enshrine protection for our grandchildren. Twenty years of debate on climate change has occurred. A plethora of inquiries, three of which I was on, heard the evidence from scientists and from economists consistently explaining why we need to act on climate change. Yet those opposite stand up in this chamber an hour and a half after the Clean Energy Bill and related bills have been passed and history has been made still with their heads in the sand, still not willing to accept science and still not willing to accept what the economists are saying and what the future will be for our clean energy environment.

We will cut 160 million tonnes of pollution by 2020 through the introduction of our act. That is equivalent to 45 million cars being taken off the road. Yet those opposite still want to pursue their claims and their Direct Action Plan. We know what that will cost people in our communities; it will cost $1,300 a year. Those of you in the public gallery will have to pay $1,300 under the coalition's Direct Action Plan. With regard to delivering any results, the equivalent is that they will have to plant enough trees to cover the entire area of Germany or an area the size of Victoria and Tasmania combined. Figures have indicated that direct action would not benefit the environment. Instead, it would deliver only 25 per cent of the carbon pollution abatement needed to reduce emissions by five per cent. That is why you cannot accept the plans that have been presented by those opposite.

Oddly, though, leading up to the 2007 election the opposition were in favour of a carbon price. They were in favour of an ETS model which would have delivered the outcomes that we as a government sought as well. They were at a point in time when their leader, Mr Malcolm Turnbull, supported an ETS scheme. We know what happened to Mr Turnbull; he was knifed in the back by Mr Abbott. That is the way those opposite treat their leadership: if they agree with something that is going to work take the opportunity and knife them. That is what they have done to their previous leaders. Consistently they continue with the scare campaign. They go into butchers shops, car yards and wrecking yards and say, 'Your jobs will disappear. Your jobs will be going overseas.' What a load of rubbish! Modelling has indicated that our act will create 1.6 million jobs. That is what we are going to do for workers in our community. That is what we are going to do for people who we as a Labor government look after.

Also, we know that working families will be protected. Nine out of every 10 householders will receive tax cuts. They will also receive an increase to the tax threshold from $6,000 to $18,200. These are contemporary changes that only a Labor federal government can introduce to protect and look after our society. On average, costs will rise only $9.90 per week; however, those out there in our communities will receive $10.10 in assistance. This is what we are about. This is our tradition as a Labor Party—protecting working families and our pensioners. In fact those opposite used to have the mantle of protecting pensioners, but that mantle has been stolen from them. We have produced and delivered contemporary and model pension increases not seen anytime before in this country, and that is what we are going to deliver. Those opposite will end up with a $70 billion black hole with their proposal to roll back our bills—a $70 billion black hole. How are they going to fund that? No doubt, they will reduce the pensions of people in our communities who really need this money. We will make sure that we protect— (Time expired)