Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I'll get to Senator Canavan soon, because actually it is all about him and people like him.

Opposition senators interjecting—

If I could have the respect of the chamber to make my contribution. Chair, I know why Senator Canavan's trying to disrupt my contribution, because it makes him deeply uncomfortable.

I've been in this chamber, as Senator Waters has, for over a decade. I've witnessed the Clean Energy Future Package being passed into legislation. At the time, it was considered right around the world to be the gold standard in legislation, with a price on carbon, money for renewable energy through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, money for higher-risk investments in research and development and innovation through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and so much more. Then we witnessed the Liberal-National coalition getting into government, using three-word slogans and shamelessly tearing up climate action. The period during which we had the Clean Energy Future Package in place was the only time emissions in this country have gone down.

It is also a source of frustration to me and my colleagues that that great work the Greens did with the Gillard government seems to have been written out of history by both the Labor Party and the mainstream media and is totally forgotten in discussions in the lead-up to this so-called safeguard mechanism debate that we're having here today. Of course, it's also frustrating that, after nine years of the Greens carrying the torch in this place for climate action and for future generations, what we get is actually Liberal Party legislation, first brought in by Tony Abbott, a climate denier, and then perfected by Mr Angus Taylor from the other place, who you would have to say is a climate sceptic, and Mr Scott Morrison in the other place. I swear I heard Senator Wong in the chamber just a few weeks ago in question time goading you guys for not supporting the legislation, because it's yours. In fact, she even said that the changes the Labor Party were hoping to bring in in the unamended safeguard mechanism were signed off by your party room. How fricking cynical is that? How cynical is it that the legislation the Labor Party was bringing to the parliament is actually your legislation? The Australian people need to know that you can't even vote for your own crappy legislation, because it's all about being in opposition, isn't it? It's all about saying no to everything.

And then, Senator Duniam—through you, Chair—you had the cheek to stand up in here and point to children in the gallery and say that this legislation, which is some kind of climate action, is not good government. How outrageous!

The TEMPORARY CHAIR: Order, Senator Whish-Wilson! I have Senator Duniam on his feet.