Transcript - Doorstop - Gillard's 2020 Summit-Copenhagen Conference Climate Policy

Julia Gillard has failed her own test of leadership. Last year she said ‘no more inquiries’. Last year she said ‘delay is denial’. What we have now is 150 names randomly selected from the phone book. We have the 2020 Summit with the Copenhagen conference. There is a real choice for Australia now, the Coalition’s Direct Action approach. $3.2 billion to clean up our farms, to clean up our power stations, to clean up our waste coal mine gas and no impact on electricity prices – versus a Prime Minister who wants to change, who wants to increase electricity prices – but simply doesn’t have the courage to say so. Instead she has delayed action and appointed 150 people, randomly selected from the phone book in the 2020 Summit-meets-the-Copenhagen-conference.

JOURNALIST

What do you think of it?

GREG HUNT

This is a failure of leadership and a farce. This is the moment and this is the day when we discover that Julia Gillard is not up to the task. We’ve had the dodgy mining tax figures, we’ve had the failed East Timor solution, and now we have the climate con. What we see today is a leader who last year demanded immediate action and no more inquiries. Instead, we’ve got the mother of all committees, 150 people randomly selected from the phone book, and it is the combination of the 2020 Summit meets the Copenhagen conference - inaction on real action. We want real action without electricity price rises. She wants inaction but with the promise of huge electricity price rises to come.

JOURNALIST

What are those 150 people (inaudible)….?

GREG HUNT

Who knows what Julia Gillard is planning with 150 people just plucked out of the phone book? 

What they are really for is to get her through the election, without the honesty of the fact that she wants to increase power prices without the honesty of the fact that she wants to drive up electricity for mums and dads all around Australia.

JOURNALIST

(Inaudible)

GREG HUNT

We saw protesters today who were angered by the sense of deceit. What we have seen now is deceit. This is something that Kevin Rudd would have been proud of. 2020 Summit with the Copenhagen conference. Electricity price rises are coming. She just won’t be honest about it and she has deferred real action which the Coalition is promising through solar and wind and geothermal and tidal, as well as cleaning up the power stations and fixing up our farms. There is a choice for Australians now.

JOURNALIST

Do you actually (inaudible)?

GREG HUNT

Last year, Julia Gillard, by her own words, said ‘delay is denial’. Last year, Julia Gillard said, ‘no more inquiries’. Today she delivered the mother of all committees which will take us until almost the next election. What we see is very clear. They want higher electricity prices. She said today she wants to put a carbon price on. She just doesn’t have the courage of her convictions – a complete failure of leadership.

JOURNALIST

Do you also think this is a free kick for the Greens?

GREG HUNT

I think every body who is concerned about real action on climate change would look and say ‘this person is a fraud’. Last year, she was all for immediate action. What we see now is delay and by her own words, denial, and instead there is a better way which is direct action. Let’s go and clean things up immediately with the Coalition’s $3.2 billion plan.