Senator WHISH-WILSON (Tasmania) (17:05): It was good to hear Labor senators today acknowledge that millions of Australians—after more than a decade of climate inaction in this place—voted to get climate action in this parliament. Isn't it ironic that the first piece of legislation we have before us in this parliament is an ex-Tony Abbott piece of legislation? Soon we are going to debate whether you can polish a turd. But let me tell you, right here and now, the only thing this legislation will safeguard is the profits of big polluting companies. The only thing this legislation will safeguard is the cosy relationship between the Labor political party and the Liberal political party and their big fossil fuel donors. It won't safeguard the children who are here in the chamber today, watching this debate, and their futures. It won't safeguard our climate or our environment or our communities that are suffering, that have been in parliament this week urging us not to pass this safeguard mechanism as it is. You can't fix a problem by making it worse. We are not going to let this opportunity pass for the 1.8 million Australians who voted for the Greens, to give us the balance of power in this place, to make sure we get climate action in this parliament, because it has been too long. Some of us have been in this chamber day in, day out for over a decade, trying to get climate action. I thank Senator David Pocock for bringing this debate here today. Senator Ayres: What happened in 2009? Senator WHISH-WILSON: We will not be locking in failure, Senator Ayres. I'm happy to take your objection. I don't know why you keep writing Julia Gillard out of the history books, because she was able to come in here and, with the Greens, negotiate what was the gold standard around the world for climate action. We were very proud of that. I'm not sure why you and the Labor political party keep writing her out of the history books, going back to 2009. The world's changed since 2009. In case you haven't noticed, the physical world is changing! The Barrier Reef is bleaching. Senator Canavan interjecting— Senator WHISH-WILSON: You can laugh at the Barrier Reef bleaching, which you always do, Senator Canavan. I hope the cameras, once again, come in close on your smiling face while we're talking about the death of our natural world—our forests burning, the loss of biodiversity, the shifts we're seeing in nature. You might think that's funny but we're in here to get climate action. That's what Australians put us in this place for, and we will not let them down. The PRESIDENT: The question is that the urgency motion standing in the name of Senator David Pocock be agreed to.