Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

In my concluding remarks yesterday on why the Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013 should not be passed, I was sharing with my colleagues some of the very moving comments I have received from people who have a very clear understanding of how important the carbon tax is and why we need to retain it and build with real carbon action. I just want to share a few more of those comments. Lynnette Oakley is one of the more than 6,000 people who signed just one of the petitions calling for these bills to be retained. Interestingly, she spoke of her concerns about the people of Kiribati. She said: 'I have been visiting the nation of Kiribati on the equator for 10 years. Over that time there have been very noticeable changes.' She went on to detail how disturbing she found the impacts that climate change is having on people.

Noela Kelman came to one of the recent rallies about the importance of these bills. She said:

The future of my children and grandchildren and the wellbeing of all future generations are in our hands—such responsibility must be shouldered and fought for. I have recycled, reduced, reused for decades but much more is needed.

And someone many of my colleagues would know very warmly is Gosta Lynga. He is now living in Canberra. He is a former Swedish parliamentarian who historically was part of the introduction of a carbon tax in his native city over 12 years ago. He said:

I have been able to follow the effect in Sweden on the use of less polluting fuels, on the move towards more sustainable energy … and consequently on the decrease in atmospheric pollution due to carbon dioxide from Swedish sources. This has been encouraging.

I have also seen how ever more countries around the world are taking their share of responsibility for what is a global problem with possibly devastating consequences. There can no longer be any doubt that the observed increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is causing dangerous global warming and that the increase is caused by human pollution sources.

Based on these facts I am sad that the Australian government is now contemplating backwards steps.

And that sums up so many of the comments that my offices receive and that people raise with me formally and informally. People are very distressed about what this government is doing. They understand how important urgent climate change action is. They also know that renewable energy is industrially and commercially viable, that we need a government with courage, with the political will to work with communities across this country on the transition to a clean future that we so urgently need.