The Speech I'd Make If I Were Liberal Leader

My Fellow Australians,

Over the past weeks the Liberal party has changed direction on a matter of major policy and obviously it was not handled as well as it should have been. For that I apologise. Many people in the electorate and the media believe that we should honour the position that we took to the last election, that of supporting an Emissions Trading System or ETS. Kevin Rudd and the Labor Party would like us to fall into step and agree with his position on this matter uncritically. We, as a responsible political party, can no longer do that and I would like to take this opportunity to explain once and for all why our policy position has changed.

1/ The imposition of the ETS has been largely due to what has been referred to as the "scientific consensus" that the Earth is now warming in a manner that is not consistent with natural cycles and is indeed being caused by mankind and industry and our emissions of greenhouse gasses, mainly CO2. These warnings of catastrophic global warming have become increasingly alarmist over recent times and seem to be at odds with actual events.

Far from being an actual majority of scientists who are making these catastrophic claims, it has actually been the work of only a small group of well funded, UN backed people. The recent leaking of a large amount of correspondence and other documents from one of the leading scientific groups has called into serious question the integrity and accuracy of these people and the wild claims they are making. We now know for certain that they been involved in adjusting data to achieve a predetermined outcome, they have tampered with the peer review process to ensure only peers with an "approved" opinion are used, they have bullied and shouted down opposing viewpoints and have vigorously denied anyone outside their own organisations the right to check their data and models. These are completely unscientific practices and call into serious question the findings that the World is heading for some type of catastrophic climate emergency.

In fact, they have even noted themselves that the World has stopped warming despite increasing CO2 emissions! This is completely at odds with their own modelling and they have fought hard not to let these facts into the public domain. This has been deceitful in the highest order and before any more funding or policy is made in this regard, we must have a full Royal Commission to examine the veracity of the IPCC's claims. We must not risk Australian people jobs and livelihoods on what looks like a false premise.

2/ We at the Liberal Party have been absolutely inundated over the past few weeks with emails and phone calls from our constituents who are overwhelmingly opposed to the Labor Party's massive new tax. they understand that a fundamental shift in our economy will have devastating affects on our citizens, particularly the youth, the elderly and the vulnerable. We simply cannot choose to disregard the strength of feeling amongst our supporters at this time. We are after-all, our voters representatives so if we do not put their wishes above our own, then we have failed.

This impost on all Australians will have a devastating effect on employment and industry in Australia and will serve to force many jobs and businesses overseas to other countries who are not choosing to participate in this scheme. All to have absolutely no effect on the climate. We simply cannot stand by and and watch as youth unemployment hits 20 or 30 percent and pensioners are forced to shiver instead of putting on their heater. That is untenable and the people of Australia have made it very clear to us in their recent correspondence that they will exact a heavy price from any political party stupid enough to nobble Australia's economy to suit the UN and its well funded alarmists.

The people have spoken and we are beholden to listen. This is the very essence of democracy.

3/ The third and last reason we must now oppose the Labor Partys economy wrecking policies is due to Kevin Rudd and his party themselves. Quite simply, Ladies and Gentlemen, Kevin Rudd and most of his party are climate change sceptics. Their actions on a daily basis prove this. Don't listen to their words, we know they can't be trusted. Look to their actions and you will soon see that they are sceptics of the first order.

We have learnt over the last 2 years that Kevin Rudd is a man who likes to promise much and yet continually fails to deliver. His words are very rarely backed by any action whatsoever. Take Fuelwatch, Grocery choices, Whale watch, every schoolkid with a laptop, the hollow apology to indigenous Australians whilst doing nothing to improve their lot and lately his abject failure on border protection all the while claiming to be "tough" on illegal immigrants. Failure after failure is this mans legacy.

He claimed to be an "economic conservative" yet at the first sign of trouble he panicked and plunged our Country into a debt that ordinary Australians will be paying back for generations. Quite simply what he and his party say is almost never what they do. They are the party of untruths and spin and so it is with the global warming issue too.

Kevin says that we must cut emissions yet he takes more private jet flights in 6 months than the average Australian will take in their lifetime. He's not known as "Kevin 747" for nothing. In fact, the upcoming Copenhagen meeting will see between 15 and 20 thousand people who say they believe, climb aboard carbon belching planes and fly in. Do they not have access to a phone or email? Do they really need to fly so many people from all around the globe in on private jets? Is the crisis something they believe or only something you have to suffer?

Kevin says that we all need to install solar panels on our rooves but strangely he doesn't think it's important enough an issue to put his hand in his pocket to put them on his own roof. Indeed, if this issue was as important as he says, wouldn't we see some leadership here? Wouldn't we see workmen install solar panels onto Parliament House? Or is this only something that YOU have to do?

Greg Combet says he's worried about rising sea levels but strangely lives in a waterfront property. Does he believe this stuff or is it only something that you have to suffer?

I will put this quite simply folks, when Kevin Rudd and his party of spin merchants start ACTING like they believe in catastrophic climate change then I will start to take them seriously. Kevin Rudd by his actions is a sceptic and yet he wants you to change your life. No thanks.

In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to address an issue that should be foremost in a politicians mind in times like this. We have been told that our viewpoint is now not with the majority of voters and that to oppose this new tax will mean political suicide. I fully accept that we may face annihilation at the next election and as much as that prospect pains me, it would be completely beyond our political and personal principals to fashion such monumentally life changing policies such as this on possible voter backlash. We simply need to stand on principal and let the cards fall where they may.

I believe that the tide is turning against the "scientific consensus" that never was and that people are waking op to the fact they have been deceived for political and personal gain. Should an ETS be introduced in Australia it will have a devastating effect on our economy, industry and our people. When it hits the fan, and it will, I do not want to be held accountable for marching lock step with the labor party into Australia's ruin. I cannot standby and watch our people devastated to suit Kevin Rudds global ambitions.

I want this time to mark the point where we decided it was better to die on our feet than to live on our knees.

Thank you.