Page 4913 - Week 11 - Thursday, 21 October 2010
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refer to a line that Mr Corbell made and that has been reported on the ABC. It quotes Mr Corbell as saying:
This bill is an important opportunity for the ACT to once again establish itself as a leader.
Clearly at some point in time, we led the greenhouse gas and climate change debate. And it is true, right up until 2001 when this crowd took over. From 2001 to 2010, it has been ignored by the Labor Party, aided and abetted by Greens members of this place. The Labor Party had majority government for a term but did nothing, unchallenged, aided and abetted by the Green member in this place.
The real leadership on these issues in this place and a record of achievement belong to one party, and that is the Liberal Party. Based on our record and our experience, we have a view moving forward and we believe that the target should be 30 per cent.
It is interesting that, when you look at the documents that Mr Corbell quoted from, they are somehow saying, “We have done the work. We have got a pile of documents.” I have got your documents, Mr Corbell. I have got all the things you wrote about—the Kinesis report, the greenhouse gas emissions, the existing baseline project, the carbon sequestration audit. None of them will tell the ordinary taxpayer of the ACT how much this will cost.
What we are doing is writing the government a blank cheque, a cheque that will be written and endorsed by the hard work of the people and the businesses of the ACT, because they will have to pay. Why? Because Mr Corbell and the government, in their failure of leadership, in their failure to act over the last nine years, in their hairy-chested, pat me on the back approach to this argument, have said, “I want to be seen to be doing something because I have not done the work. I have picked some of the most expensive options. And the ACT taxpayer can pay.” And that is not good policy.
In comparison, I would point members to the report Australian sustainable energy: zero carbon Australia stationary energy plan recently produced by the Energy Research Institute, University of Melbourne. These guys have an idea too. Their plan is to make use of 100 per cent renewable energy in 10 years. They have actually done the work. This is not a government department. This is not an entire government with almost 20,000 public servants. It is a research institute. But what have they done? They went out and did the work. It is quite interesting that they then got some plaudits from business:
Zero Carbon Australia 2020 is exactly the type of positive, rigorous technical analysis that is urgently needed to chart our path to a sustainable future—and convince Australia that there are far better alternatives to the complacent assumption that our high-carbon lifestyle can continue ad infinitum.
Let me say those words again—“positive, rigorous technical analysis that is urgently needed to chart our path to a sustainable future”.
Mr Corbell’s approach is akin to being in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and wearing a blindfold. We know we are meant to go there but we have got absolutely no
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