Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme: Australia

JOURNALIST: Climate Change Minister Penny Wong joins us now in our Parliament House studio. Minister good morning.

WONG: Good Morning Fran.

JOURNALIST: Now it seems you've given up on convincing Malcolm Turnbull and you're now focusing on the Greens and the independents. With respect you're not likely to get much joy either there are you given some of their on the record statements?

WONG: Well look we've always said we'd talk to all parties and we are determined to get this legislation through. We will be discussing these issues with the crossbenchers, we're willing to have a discussion with the Coalition as I've previously indicated but we are very focused of getting this legislation through because this is in the national interest. We've waited a long time in this country we've been talking for many years under the previous government about action on climate change; the evidence is clear and we just have to get on with it.

JOURNALIST: Well you don't really need private talks to know for instance what the Greens want. They're on the record as saying they want targets to start at at least 25% cut in emissions. That's their bottom line before they'll even start talking about this legislation.

WONG: Well Fran I'm not going to get into negotiation by broadcast, obviously we will be focused...

JOURNALIST: I thought that's why you we're here? [laughs]

WONG:Well not negotiations, I'm happy to talk to you and to the Australian people about why this is such an important piece of legislation. In these negotiations just in the design of the scheme we will be focused in what is in the national interest. What we think is the best scheme for the nation. We think the targets we've put on the table are both ambitious but also achievable and we look forward to talking with the crossbenchers about why we think this scheme which has been worked out with environment groups and the business community is the right scheme for Australia.

JOURNALIST: So will you be holding these talks with the Greens, with Senator Fielding and Senator Xenophon this week?

WONG: We will be holding talks; we will continue to have discussions. We are focused on getting this legislation through because it is the right thing to do.

JOURNALIST: You describe Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull's position to put off the vote for six months as a con. Why is it a con? He said very clearly yesterday that he would support the recall of Parliament after the Copenhagen summit to get moving on this.

WONG: Well Fran as I've also said I think what you are seeing is Mr Turnbull scrounging around for any excuse to delay a vote and the reason he needs to delay I think has been demonstrated by Senator Joyce's comments. He - Mr Turnbull - clearly does not have control of the Coalition party room, their position in less than a week has really blown apart. It's quite clear what the divisions are between those who don't want action and those who recognise, privately, that we need action on climate change.

JOURNALIST: Sure but he's the Opposition Leader.

WONG: When it comes to the United States I want to make a number of points. The first is we have designed the scheme that we are putting forward very carefully so as to enable linking with other international schemes whether they are already in existence such as the European Union, or schemes which may come into place such as the US scheme which President Obama has called for. And Mr Turnbull knows that he is misleading people because he wants to justify a position of delay because he currently cannot control the votes in his party room.

JOURNALIST: Nevertheless, that's easy for you to say. He is the Opposition Leader and he went on national television yesterday and he says he has no doubt Australia will get an emissions trading scheme, he is signalling the fact Australia will come on board as the rest of the world does and as I've said he has suggested that the Parliament could be recalled after Copenhagen. Would that satisfy you?

WONG: Look there are two reasons why we think the scheme needs to go through this year. The first is business certainty, and Fran that is not to be underestimated. What we are seeking to do is to start a transformation of the Australian economy that will take many years that will require millions of dollars of investment from Australian business. To make those investments in clean technology, in renewable energy, business needs clarity and certainty about how the scheme will operate. We need to give that signal and we need to get started because that is so important in starting this transformation process.

The second reason, and Mr Turnbull knows this, is about the international negotiations. If we're serious about getting an international agreement, and everybody agrees - other than those in the National Party - everybody agrees that it is in Australia's interest to get an effective global agreement on climate change - that's the only way we're going to respond to this enormous challenge - then why would Australia do something at this point, so close in the lead up to Copenhagen that clearly detracts from the momentum to those important international negotiations.

JOURNALIST: If you can't find a way to get any kind of compromise, if you won't agree to change any part of this to satisfy the calls made from the others, this scheme will go down; we will have nothing on the table. We will have no bipartisan support for targets, no legislated scheme, nothing even going forward when you go to Copenhagen. That would be a shemozzle wouldn't it?

WONG: If there is nothing on the table, if there is nothing on the table, the responsibility for that rests on Mr Turnbull. And this is the man that said when he was Environment Minister that you had to have a scheme. He's also the man who said, when Environment Minister that you couldn't put out targets unless you also had an emissions trading scheme. He has completely back flipped in a most opportunistic way on his position and the reason is that the internal politics of the Liberal Party room are blinding him and the Liberal Party to the national interest. And what we say to them is that you should look to the national interest and you should act responsibly.

JOURNALIST: Minister thanks very much for joining us.