Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

The last time I looked, the clean energy future package, including the carbon price mechanism, had passed the Senate. If Senator Cormann is aware of a way that we could retrospectively amend a bill after it has passed the Senate—I am not aware of such a way—I am sure he could tell me about that. But the legislation has already passed and the government has made its position very clear.

Honourable senators interjecting—

I will take the interjection. I know there are a range of things that need to be dealt with through policy and regulation, and the government are proceeding with a number of those. We have the Clean Energy Finance Corporation legislation, which will be dealt with in this Senate, hopefully in the near future, and we have the Climate Change Authority appointments to be made. There is a range of such matters. I am not sure what the senator is referring to, but I can say to him very clearly that we have put out a great deal of detail in relation to the clean energy future package. It is an economically cogent package which puts a price on pollution and is the most efficient way we know to reduce pollution in the Australian economy—in fact in any economy. That point has been made by economists worldwide and also by the IMF. I would hope that those opposite would be aware of that and would read those comments, because they continue to persist with a policy that will cost Australia more.