Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

I thank and congratulate the senator on memorising that, this morning, in front of the mirror. In the election three years ago the Prime Minister said, 'Australia needed to act on climate change,' which is something that was not dissimilar to what Mr Howard said in 2007 and which was signed off by all of those deniers today. The Prime Minister said that our country needed to put a price on dangerous carbon pollution. That is exactly what John Howard wanted to do in 2007. It is what Mr Tony Abbott agreed when he was in cabinet. It is what Mr Abbott said in 2009. Just last week, as has already been mentioned by my colleague, China put a price on carbon. Last night President Obama set out how the world's largest economy is tackling climate change. We welcome President Obama's comments. They show that the world's largest economy is committed.