He said there was no reason to wait until after the December climate change summit in Copenhagen to introduce an emissions trading scheme, saying he was encouraged by Barack Obama’s leadership ahead of the conference.
“I don’t think there’s much doubt about where the world is headed,” he said.
He dismissed research from the Minerals Council of Australia suggesting the Government’s minimum target of a five per cent of 2000 emission levels would cost 24,000 mining jobs over the next 10 years.
“There’s no reason to think that a regime of ambitious emissions reduction will lead to a net fall in jobs,” he said, adding there would be as many new jobs created as old ones lost.
Coalition senators have complained about the time they have to examine the ETS legislation before it is debated next week.
“We’ve received something that’s just slightly bigger than War and Peace, 1300 pages, that’s been launched on our desk,” Barnaby Joyce said.
The colourful Queensland National said the committee had only been given the time it takes to read a Phantom comic to go through the bills.
Western Australian Liberal Alan Eggleston said the Government was holding the inquiry even before the close of submissions on June 4.