In 2050 my youngest daughter will be 43.
She and others of her generation will have an opportunity to open the Time Capsule we sealed today in Canberra following the final passage of the carbon price through the Australian Parliament.
In the Time Capsule they will find messages from people all around Australia supporting a price on carbon.
I hope she will be proud of those of us who are taking on the fight for a better future for her and the generations that follow her.
That said, introducing a carbon price is but a first step towards tackling Australia’s carbon emissions and securing a healthy planet.
While we can all stand proud today of what we have achieved in the milestone of an Australian carbon price and the significant investment in renewables that will follow, there is still much more to do to make Australia a place we would want to leave to our kids.
Key to this is that the Government now ensures its existing policies, as well as its future ambitions, are consistent with an approach of reducing emissions.
We are currently campaigning for the Government to withdraw the $100 million grant awarded by the Howard Government to a new dirty coal-fired power station, HRL, in Victoria. It is not acceptable in the 21st Century that tax-payer money be spent creating another dirty power station when clean renewable technologies are available.
In fact, if the HRL plant is built now, in 2050 when the Time Capsule is opened it will still be spewing carbon pollution into the air.
Similarly it is inconceivable that approximately $12 billion worth of subsidies are provided to the fossil fuel industry every year.
We believe both the money for the HRL grant and these subsidies should be immediately re-directed to safe clean industries of the future.
I can’t imagine my daughter being 43. But I can imagine what the world might be like if we don’t continue to take steps to improve it now.
Today is a victory worth celebrating. Once we have taken a deep breath, however, we must continue. Like I tell my children, if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. And with the stakes this high, there is no alternative but to press on.
