Lin Thorp (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I sometimes think that on the issue of carbon pricing and how to deal with global warming we have the most clear and striking contrast between the attitudes of the people opposite and the people on my side in this place. There is a very stark contrast.

Senator Ian Macdonald interjecting—

I am glad to see that even some of the flat-earthers have been dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century to recognise that global warming is a significant issue in our country—in fact, in the whole world. Where I live is a coastal region surrounded by areas like Clifton Beach, Sandford and Lauderdale. Work done by our local council, the Clarence City Council, has shown that the dangers of inundation on our coast are very real and significant, particularly dangers coming from storm surges. We are dealing with a very serious problem. It is quite disconcerting to have it trivialised so much by those people opposite. At least the government is taking very sensible action in trying to do something about this serious threat. We are not doing it by imposing a debt of $1,300 on every household in Australia and then handing that money over to the big polluters to spend as they will in some bizarre hope that, if given extra money, they will cut their pollution. No, that is not how Labor is addressing it. Labor is addressing it by making sure that the big polluters have an incentive to change their behaviour and reduce their carbon emissions by having a carbon price put on those emissions. It is a sensible and practical way to do it.

It is often said by members opposite that this is the world's biggest tax. In fact, Australia is in the middle of the pack in terms of global action on carbon pricing. The report The critical decade: international action on climate change found that 90 countries, representing 90 per cent of the global economy, have committed to reduce their carbon pollution and have policies in place to achieve those reductions. The Climate Commission concluded that by next year 850 million people will be living in countries or states with emissions trading schemes, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand and Switzerland. Those people opposite should be praising this government for taking sensible action on this issue rather than being so negative.