Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Twenty-seven years after the Hon. Barry Jones, then Minister for Science, first raised in this great parliament the spectre of climate change, here we are taking real action. It has been too slow and it has been too short of the vision that you must expect of great parliaments, but here today we are making up for that inaction.

I congratulate the Prime Minister of this country, Julia Gillard, for her integrity in following through against the huge condemnation that has been levelled at her. I congratulate the Minister for Climate Change—now in the gallery—who has shown such fortitude and integrity in this legislation coming through the House and now into this chamber, and I congratulate his fellow ministers. I congratulate the Independent members for New England and Lyne, who were part of the committee which has led to this outcome. And I congratulate my deputy leader, Christine Milne, Adam Bandt and our Greens team for carrying this historic vote through to conclusion in this parliament.

It is a great day for Australia. It is a great day for the Barrier Reef, for the Murray-Darling Basin, for Ningaloo, for Kakadu and for this nation's future, and it is a great day for this planet Earth, upon which we all depend and which gives us inspiration, which gives us joy, which gives us happiness and which today we are acknowledging we must return something to.

The TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN: Prior to calling the next speaker, could I indicate to senators that the clocks have been readjusted to remove time from Senator Abetz and Senator Wong. Interjections will do this constantly, so please be respectful of speakers to come.