MARK DREYFUS MP

It is a policy that will help the Australian economy adapt to change and to grow while leaving a cleaner and more prosperous future for our children and for their children. It is a policy that we on this side of the House are very proud of. It will be looked back on as a watershed in Australian economic history when we set this country on the path to the low-carbon economy that our people deserve. It is a plan which is central to Australia's economic competitiveness. In decades to come, low-pollution technologies will be crucial.

The Ombudsman has for many years proved the value of having an Ombudsman - having independence, review processes and somewhere that members of the public can go to make their complaints, and indeed having someone who has a general oversight role and a discretion to go and look at various matters on his own motion, without waiting to be charged with an inquiry, without waiting even for a complaint to be made.

I rise to honour the memory of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat whose courage, spirit and ingenuity saved the lives of over 100,000 Jews in Budapest during the Second World War.

The Australian Government's Clean Energy Future Plan represents the most significant environmental and economic reform in a generation.

The Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Bill 2012 implements a commitment by this government and the Council of Australian Governments to achieve nationally consistent regulation of equipment energy efficiency.

With 40 per cent of Victoria's manufacturing occurring in Melbourne's south-east, the future of manufacturing is central to the lives of many people living and working in my electorate and the surrounding areas, where manufacturing supports just under one in five local jobs.

The Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Registration Fees) Bill 2012 is integral to the success of the enhanced E3 program. The bill will establish a clear legislative basis to recover a portion of the costs incurred administering the program. This cost recovery will assist the national regulator to deliver an expanded compliance monitoring regime, a measure supported by Australian business stakeholders.

These are important bills because they take Australia closer to a low-carbon future. They are important bills because by establishing the Clean Energy Finance Corporation they will help us unlock our national potential by securing a strong and sustainable renewable energy industry.

By pooling the Commonwealth's specialist drafting functions into the one office the government will ensure that it makes the most effective use of both our highly skilled drafters and the specialist IT systems that support the drafting and publishing of Commonwealth legislation.

I am very happy with this budget because it is a very good budget. It is a very well-crafted budget and it is one that I know my colleagues are rightfully very proud of. The budget is good for the economy and it is good for Australians.