your screen. for free transcripts, or to give us your comments about this program, visit us online. our programs are also available as c-span podcasts. >> tonight, on c-span, next remarks from earlier tonight about -- by president obama in aru, colorado. after that, australian parliament question time. then, remarks in the committee for responsible federal budget. earlier, president obama spoke to the press after meeting with victims of the shooting in aura, colorado. he is joined by members of the congressional delegation and the

state's governor. >> good afternoon, everybody. i want to begin by just thanking all of the state, local, and federal officials who have responded magnificently to this tragedy. governor hickenlooper, who has already been dealing with a range of natural disasters here in the state, has been an extraordinary example of a strength. the mayor, who has only been on the job for seven months, and obviously has responded with great strength and leadership. the police unit -- we had an opportunity to speak over the phone. the chief has been dealing with

as difficult a set of circumstances as any law enforcement officer deals with. he and his officers have done everything right. by the book, with great courage and determination. so we are very proud of them. i think speak for the entire congressional delegation, who is here as well. scripture says that he will wipe away every tear from their eyes. deaf shall be no more. net -- death shall be no more. neither shall there be mourining nor crying, for the former things have passed away. when you have an opportunity to visit with families who have lost their loved ones, as i described to them, i come to them not so much as president as

i do as a father and as a husband. i think that the reason stories like this have such an impact on us is because we can all understand what it would be to have somebody that we love taken from us in this fashion -- what it would be like, and how it would impact us. i had a chance to visit with each family. most of the conversation was filled with memories. it was an opportunity for families to describe how wonderful their brother or their son or daughter was, and the lives of they had touched. the dreams that they held for the future. i confess to them that words are always inadequate in these kinds of situations, but that my main task was to serve as a

representative of the entire country and let them know that we are thinking about them at this moment, and will continue to think about them each and every day, and that the -- the awareness that not only all of america, but also much of the world is thinking about them might serve as some comfort. i tried to assure them that, although the perpetrator of this evil act has received a lot of attention over the last couple of days, that attention will fade away. in the end, after he has felt the full force of our justice system, what will be remembered are the good people who were impacted by this tragedy. i also had a chance to give

, to shed somegs tears, but also to share some laughs as they remembered the wonderful lives that these men and women represented. i also had a chance, fortunately, to visit some folks who will be ok thanks to the extraordinary efforts of staff at this hospital. i want to thank everybody who has worked tirelessly here to deal with this tragedy. some of the stories are remarkable. you see young people who have come in and just two days ago, 36 hours ago, even 24 hours ago, it was not certain whether they would make it. now, suddenly, their eyes are open. they are large and they are talking.

-- a alert and they are talking. even in the darkest days, life continues. people are strong. people bounceback. people are resilient. particularly given that so many victims were young, it is a great blessing to see how rapidly they are able to recover from some pretty devastating injuries. there is one particular story i want to tell, because this was the last visit that i had. i think it is representative of everything that i saw and heard today. i had a chance just now, five minutes ago, to visit with allie young. allie is 19 years old. i also have the chance to visit her best friend, stephanie, who

is 21. she was downstairs with allie and her parents. i do not think this story has been heard, at least i had not read it yet, but i wanted to share it with you. when the gunman initially came in and through the canisters, he threw them only a few feet away from alley and stephanie, who were watching the film. allie stood up, seeing that she might need to do something or warned the other people who were there. she was immediately shot. she was shot in the neck. ein and ured a vai immediately she started spurting blood. apparently, as she dropped down

on the floor, stephanie, 21 years old, had the presence of mind to drop down on the ground with her, pulled her out of the aisle, placed her fingers over where she had been wounded, and apply pressure the entire time while the gunman was still shooting. she told stephanie she needed to run. stephanie refuse to go. instead, with her other hand, she called 911 on herself and -- her cell phone. when the swat team came in, they were still trying to clear the theater. stephanie, with the help of several others, carries allie across two parking lots to where the ambulance was waiting. because of stephanie's timely

actions, i just had a conversation with allie downstairs. she is going to be fine. i do not know how many people at any age would have the presence of mind that stephanie did, or the courage that allie showed. as tragic as the circumstances of what we have seen today are, as heartbreaking as it is for the families, it is worth us spending most of our time reflecting on young americans like allie and stephanie, because they represents what is best in us. they assure us that out of this darkness a brighter day is going to come. to the entire community of aurora, the country is thinking of you. i know that there is going to be

a vigil and an opportunity for everybody to come together. i hope that all of those understand that the entire country will be there in prayer and reflection today. so thank you. god bless you. god bless all who helped to respond to this tragedy. i hope that, over the next several days, several weeks, several months, we all reflect on how we can do something about some of the senseless violence that ends up marring this country, but also reflect on all the wonderful people who make this the greatest country on earth. thank you very much, everybody.

>> after visiting victims in aurora, colorado, the president went to california to spend the night in san francisco. on monday, she travels to repair -- he travels to reno, nev.. mitt romney will address the same group on tuesday. after the convention, president obama returns to the bay area for three campaign against drug the day. -- throughout the day. we will show you highlights from question time in the australian parliament. the prime minister and cabinet members answer questions on the australian economy, including a new $23 per ton of carbon tax. they debated the position on

immigration policy. this is courtesy of the australian public affairs channel. >> i'm david sears in canberra. we'll show you highlights of the latest sitting of the australian parliament. it has been a busy time in australian politics. the influx of boats carrying asylum seekers has taught -- heightened political tensions in this cong parliament. a number of boats arrived -- boats arrived, but two capsize. are around 100 people drowned. the two major parties, labor and the coalition, both agree that offshore processing of asylum seekers, sending them to another country, would deter people trying to make the country here. but they cannot agree on where this offshore processing should take place.

we have seen an emotional and very heated exchange over what to do about this problem. also, we now have a carbon price in australia. the gillard government's carbon tax came into effect, but it is strongly opposed by the opposition. here are highlights. >> the leader of the opposition. >> my speaker is to the acting prime minister. can the acting prime minister name a single head of government at the g-20 parliament who has hit workers and families with an economy-wide carbon tax of at least $23 a ton? >> order. does the opposition want to hear an answer or not? >> i have been to a few g-20 conferences. as i sat around the table, the

one thing that all the developed economies now -- there is no stronger developed economy in the g0-20 than austrailia. but what do we do? what do we get here? day after day, the opposition comes into this house and goes around and talks our economy down. deliberately insulting all of those hard-working businessman and millions of workers that have worked hard to make our economy strong. i have been asked by the leader of the opposition -- how many countries around the table are putting in place policies to deal with dangerous carbon emissions and putting in place ways to reduce their emissions? let me say this -- >> the acting prime minister has

the paul -- paul. >> 17 of the members, or 85%, are putting in place emissions- limiting levels of a national level. that is what is going on in the g-20. you would be terribly embarrassed. the fact is that the g-20 economies do appreciate the need to deal with reducing carbon pollution and are putting in place on a national level emissions-limiting measures. >> the leader of the opposition on the point of order. >> madam deputy speaker, i asked him if he could name a single country with a $23-per-ton of carbon tax? >> he is answering the question.

>> i would be happy to address it directly. >over four years, until july 2011, european car and prices have traded in the range of 16 cars to $50. -- carbon prices have traded in the range of $16 to $50. what countries might be in that situation? there is france, there is italy, there is united kingdom, there is a whole range of developed economies that are part of the european scheme. this has maintained that the european price is low at the moment, but there is no reason it will stay there. we do know that carbon prices in the european zone have moved between $16.50 dollars over the four years until the middle of 2011. i think that answers that question pretty clearly. you are so embarrassed. you are so embarrassed by your

policy. countries around the world are putting in place emissions- trading schemes. they understand the importance of dealing with dangerous climate change. >> it was the immigration issue that became the main focus during the june sitting of the australian parliament. two boats capsize and underwear from indonesia carrying asylum seekers -- around 100 -- two boats capsize carrying asylum seekers from indonesia. at around 100 ground. in the end, one -- the political stalemate continued. >> i want to acknowledge the dreadful tragedy that happened thursday last week. an asylum seeker boat capsized with considerable loss of life. deputy speaker, the precise details of this matter remain unknown, but what we do now is

that there were likely to be over 200 people on board the boat, including 113-year-old boy. it did capsize with a considerable loss of life. we are unable to determine at this point, tragically, how many people have lost their lives in that. 110 survivors have been transferred to authorities on christmas island. a number have been transferred to the mainland for treatment. this is a dreadful human tragedy. i know that members across the parliament would be feeling the weight of that. we can see many in our community who are dreading this great form it -- dreadful news. >> i rise to second the comments on this latest disaster. we mourn for the dead entries for the living who have suffered much. we offer our support for all of

the naval and other personnel who have done what they could in the search and rescue efforts. if there is anyone to blame in a tragic situation like this, surely it is the people who prey on desperate people's desire for a better life in australia. obviously, madam deputy speaker, all of us consult our consciences at a time like this on the best course of action to take. i am sure that all of us in this house are resolved to put the policies in place that will end forever this evil trade. >> madam deputy speaker, on the 90-second statements, i believe it would be wise for the government to allow standing order 43 to be suspended in order to allow this matter to be concluded. the minister on duty -- are raised for the cchief

government whip. this is of so important -- so great importance. the opposition is moving a motion to allow a bill to be debated and considered that would solve the offshore procesng crisis. >> a consensus exists across all members -- in this house and, i would hope, the other, with the exception of the greens, that offshore processing should take place in at least 140 other countries that have signed the refugee convention. support for that was outlined by the prime minister, who stated that it was the government's's policy before the election that she would only send people for offshore processing to a country that had signed the refugee convention. there is the opportunity to pass the bill that would place that -- that would give the government the protections and the powers they have to

strengthen and restore control our borders, to insure that our borders can be strong and that our borders are not compromised or weakened by the continuation of the policies we have seen. i would call them to allow -- >> i would like to reiterate that this bill should pass in parliament. not only because of the events today, but because of the events of the last decade. i urge all members to at least allow this to be tried and, by all means, if it does not work, take it to the next election. take it to the people. but we should, in this chamber, allowed an executive to do its job. this is in no way running interference on community-based attention, on onshore

assessment, on issues of genuine refugee status in australia. this is trying to stop the loss of life at sea of people trying to get to australia for a number of reasons. it is trying to reach a level agreements with countries in the asia-pacific region to slow the movement of people within our region. this is attempting to break criminal syndicates who are running on the edges of asylum- seekers and a genuine refugees involved in in city straits of people-smuggling. -- the insidious trade of people-smuggling. the worst crime up all, in my view, is that of people trafficing, particularly in the asia-visit the region. right here in australia as well. >> as the australian people are

watching this parliament, the australian-born are asking the question, will this parliament put aside partisan political divides to save lives? this parliament should today say yes. we will put aside politics of the ordinary days. we will put aside partisan point-scoring. we will act to save lives. >> i will not truck anything during this debate. there is a vote at the end of it. the minister has the call. >> people have criticized the malaysia agreement. there are people who will continue to criticize it as being too harsh. there are difficult decisions for governments and ministers in parliament to make. there is nothing as harsh as dying on the city. there is nothing as harsh as

saying to people that you must risk your lives to come to australia in order to receive australia's protection. there is nothing humanitarian about that approach. there is nothing as harsh as saying, we will let that position continue. >> i was the senior opposition representative on the inquiry that looked at the disaster we had in december. a boat left -- it sailed a few days down from the straight and iraq on christmas island. -- i arrived on christmas island. it arrived on a day when bc state was the worst people on that island had seen in their lifetime. other members in this chamber will certainly recount the debt when we went down to where the

boat floundered and spoke to australian personnel who had -- who had -- who had rescued the people who had floundered on that ship. and they told us specifically about when the ship came in, the sea was so bad that the engines of that boat -- the boat had no power left. it could only be captured by the

swell. it would be pushed under the rocks. the swell would take to back. it would be pushed onto the rocks again. australians and the islanders, who are australians as well, stood on shore and were literally the distance between myself and the government away. in some stages during that rescue, they were closer. they were so close that somebody managed to jump, this lucky individual manage to do -- to jump from the vessel onto christmas island. that is how close the vessel came to the island. one of the australians told me, he looked into the face of a child who he could not rescue,

even though he could almost touch her. and that child perished. we're dealing with similar things of the moment. of course, i dealt with that terrible tragedy. >> i would commend all the speakers who have made contributions to this effect -- debate. this debate is extremely serious. when the beat debate, i think of where i was 12 months ago and what my views were. you may ask what has changed my views? in the last 12 months, we have seen in the tragic disasters of christmas island a few months ago.

we saw the tragic scene from our televisions this weekend of young men who had found themselves in the boat that had capsized and lost their lives. we did not know how many have survived. the majority, we believe, have not been found. the few people who did make it, who we did see, i looked at their faces. being a father of two and myself, i think, this is a tragedy that we have to do whatever it takes to stop. i think that we have here before us could change that. this is a first step. to sit here as members of parliament, as we do every day when questioned time is on, when we are debating, and do nothing about this is absolutely wrong. >> i am always reluctant to speak about this for a lot of reasons.

the emotions run very deep with me. he said that his forebears came here. my father came here as a refugee on the third of september, 1948. he came from a country where there was war. he had to wait his turn. he was desperate to come here. there is a great deal of hypocrisy from time to time in these debates. but i will say one thing to. i will say it deliberately to this parliament. i will never, ever support a people-swap rican