BENSON: Penny Wong, you are working hard to sell the carbon tax, and Julia Gillard is doing the same, but theres evidence today in the latest Newspoll that the more Australians see of Julia Gillard, the less they like her.
WONG: Were in the middle of a very tough reform, Marius. This is a difficult reform. You might recall we tried to get this reform through previously on more than two or three occasions through the last Parliament, and were not able to, because Tony Abbott took over the leadership of the Opposition.
This is a difficult reform, its not an easy reform, but its absolutely the right thing to do for the nations future. And Newspolls come and go, but ultimately, in 5, or 10, or 15 years, we will be judged on whether or not this was the right reform for the nation. And I believe it is.
BENSON: Selling a tax is always hard, but its much harder when your chief salesperson is so unpopular personally.
WONG: Julia is doing the right thing, going out there, and talking to Australians about this reform thats needed. And we understand that its a tough reform, but she is someone absolutely committed to doing the right thing for the nations future.
BENSON: But her satisfaction rating 34%, why such animosity?
WONG: As I said, its a very difficult reform, and its being opposed implacably by Tony Abbott, despite the fact he previously supported it. And as long as were in this fight, I anticipate things are going to stay tough. But that doesnt make it any less right, and it doesnt make it any less important.
BENSON: Are you surprised that polling numbers are so bad?
WONG: Ive always thought this is a difficult reform to get through the Parliament, its a difficult reform to explain to the Australian people. But Ive also got no doubt that it is the right reform, and people will see when we put our package out there that this is a reform that is important for the nations future.
BENSON: Is the difficulty, in part, in substantial part, of Julia Gillards own making, for a couple of reasons. One is that shes now the chief seller of the carbon package, but she was previously the person who led the drive, with Wayne Swan, to convince Kevin Rudd to shelve his carbon scheme in April last year. You, Lindsay Tanner, were fighting to maintain it, Julia Gillard got her way and got rid of the carbon scheme then. Makes it harder for her to be the seller now.
WONG: Ive worked with Julia for many years, and I have never doubted she believes climate change is real. And she has always believed that the best way to deal with it is to put a price on carbon. And what she is doing, as Prime Minister of the country, is doing what she believes is right, which is to put a price on carbon. And she is absolutely determined, in the face of this kneejerk opposition from Tony Abbott, to press ahead with this reform.
BENSON: She may have thought that putting a price on carbon was the right thing to do, but in April last year she was arguing very hard, and successfully, to shelve it for a while.
WONG: Well Marius, Im not commenting on internal discussions, you know that.
BENSON: But theyre quite external, Kevin Rudd has spoken openly to the whole of caucus about that detail.
WONG: Im not commenting on anything that may or may not have occurred. What I am saying to you is people should look at what this Prime Minister is doing. She is pressing ahead with an extremely difficult reform. Shes doing so, not because its popular, but because its right. Shes doing so in the face of enormous opposition, and she is staying the course on a reform that is about our nations future.
It is about the next generation. And in all the heat and light of the political battle, its important for us to remember why were doing this. Were doing this because climate change is real, and because we, as a nation, want to contribute to tackling it. Thats why were doing this. We want to move to a clean energy economy, and we want to move to less polluting ways of doing business. Thats what this is all about.
BENSON: But the bigger problem, perhaps, in selling this program now, particularly for Julia Gillard, is that she so directly said no carbon tax before the election, in any government she led. And the only reason shes now in favour of a carbon tax is that the Greens insisted on it as part of the deal for a minority government.
WONG: Well I dont accept the premise of the question, and I dont agree with you. And I think the Prime Minister should be judged on what she has been prepared to do. And can I say, I mean, the contrast between her and the Leader of the Opposition is manifest. Julia is prepared to continue to press ahead with this reform to tackle climate change in the face of enormous opposition because she knows its the right thing to do.
Mr Abbott is a weathervane. Thats what his colleagues today are describing him as. Thats how hes been described in the context of climate change, and its how hes been described in the context of his recent battle over the Liberal Party presidency, where he appears to have changed his position because he sniffed the wind. I mean, those are not leadership qualities.
BENSON: The premise of that question was that Julia Gillard said before the election that there would be no carbon tax under a Government she led, and she changed because of the circumstances of being a minority, relying on the Greens, afterwards. What part of those premises dont you accept?
WONG: I do not accept your proposition in relation to the Greens, Marius. You know that the Prime Minister, the Labor party, has always had a position that the best way to tackle climate change is to put a price on carbon. Its true that our policy was for an emissions trading scheme, and youll recall we sought to get that through the Parliament on at least three occasions in the last Parliament.
It is also the case, as the Prime Minister has said, our means of getting there, because of the Parliament we have been handed, and the Australian people have elected, is to look at a fixed price period which does operate like a tax. But the ultimate goal is to still move to an emissions trading scheme, which is our policy.
BENSON: Penny Wong, thanks very much.
WONG: Good to speak with you Marius.
ENDS