buzzanddidj
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 Prime Minister Julia Gillard has hailed the passage of the controversial clean energy bills through their final vote in the Senate as "a win for Australia's children".
The legislation passed the Senate 36-32 and will become law from July 1 next year.
At that time polluting industries will pay $23 per tonne of carbon emissions and households will be compensated for extra costs through tax cuts and increased benefits.
"It's a win for those who would seek their fortunes and make their way by having jobs in our clean energy sector," Ms Gillard said at a press conference.
"Today we have made history. After all those years of debate and division, our nation has got the job done."
Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan heaped praise on Ms Gillard, saying the reason the legislation passed is because "the PM is as tough as nails".
"Putting in place long-term reform, tough reform in this country is always hard. And this has been hard, a really tough debate," Mr Swan said.
"This has been a victory for the optimists and a defeat for the naysayers."
Earlier, directly following the vote, there was glee from the Government and Greens and dismay by the Opposition who were first out of the Senate doors to voice their protests.
Nationals Senator Ron Boswell called independent MP Tony Windsor's support for the bill as "the greatest sell-out since Judas Iscariot took 30 pieces of silver".
Country Liberal Party Senator Nigel Scullion said democracy had "faltered" They were followed closely by the Greens, when leader Bob Brown prefaced his remarks "from the grim to the grinning". Senator Brown says today is "a green letter day" that will "echo down through the ages". "The great debate on this legislation is over," he said, vowing the legislation will never be rescinded despite threats by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to do so. "People 50 years, or 500 years, from now will thank us for doing this" .  "This is a vote for Australian householders, economic planners and ecologically sound business, as well as the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo, the Murray-Darling Basin and 700,000 property owners on our coastal margins."
Environmental crusader former US vice-president Al Gore said on his website "the voice of the people of Australia has rung out loud and clear".
He praised the efforts of Ms Gillard in shepherding the legislation through, saying "as the world's leading coal exporter, there's no doubt that opposition to this legislation was fierce"  Promise to repeal Mr Abbott, who is overseas and missed the historic vote, said Ms Gillard had no mandate to impose the carbon price and the Australian people had been betrayed.
"Today Julia Gillard and the Labor Party have confirmed in law their betrayal of the Australian people," Mr Abbott said in a statement.
Three million households will be worse off under the tax, he said.
"The longer this tax is in place, the worse the consequences for the economy, jobs and families," he said.
"It will drive up the cost of living, threaten jobs and do nothing for the environment."
Mr Abbott repeated his promise to scrap the policy.
"At the next election I will seek a mandate from the Australian people to repeal this tax." But the suggestion was ridiculed by Ms Gillard, who said statements such as Mr Abbott's "signature in blood" to repeal the legislation was just "huffing and puffing".
"All of that is just to disguise the fact they've got their fingers firmly crossed behind their backs. They've got no intention of repealing this," Ms Gillard said.
"Every living Liberal leader, including the current Leader of the Opposition, is on the record as supporting a price on carbon."
And Mr Swan said Mr Abbott had gone overseas "with his tail between his legs after all of the tough-guy talk".
"What a spineless retreat," Mr Swan said.
Independent MP Rob Oakeshott, whose support was vital to the bill in the Lower House, said the time had come for politicians to get out of the way and let "the market do its job".
"There is a lot of investment money waiting to come into the domestic market alongside what is already happening in international carbon trading," Mr Oakeshott said in a statement.
"I am excited by the enthusiasm of many people in business who are ready to hit the go button."
Mr Gore said the world "has turned a pivotal corner in the collective effort to solve the climate crisis" .
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