Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My colleague with me, the member for Dobell, has been very busy on this matter, making sure that we are well placed to be earlier in that rollout rather than later. We in the Hunter can see the enormous opportunities which will flow from the rollout of the NBN. We intend to be up there in front grabbing those opportunities earlier rather than later.

I would like to say something about the current carbon debate. People often turn to me and say, ‘As the member for Hunter, you must be a bit concerned about what your party is doing on carbon.’ Wrong, absolutely wrong. My coalminers, my power station owners, even those who work in the aluminium industry, understand that we have to make those industries sustainable and the best way to make those industries sustainable is to act on carbon now—act now, not later, before it gets too hard. I have always been very pleased that the coalminers union have been right out there—in front of the Labor Party, in fact—on these issues. They see how important it is to ensure that these industries have a future. They understand that the best way to make them sustainable is to give certainty to the industry and to start a structural shift in the economy which will provide that sustainability.

There has been a big change of attitudes in my electorate. People in my electorate, just like those who live on the North Shore of Sydney, are concerned about climate change. I believe there is an emerging consensus in my electorate that, even if we are in doubt, we should act on climate change; even if there is a question about the science, we should act as a form of insurance. So I do not fear the government’s position on climate change. I am very supportive of it and I am very confident that the majority of my electorate remains very supportive of it as well. We know that the majority of people who sit opposite support it as well. We have seen that in various manifestations, particularly when Mr Turnbull was leading the coalition. We saw it manifest itself through the last leadership challenge, which was of course a very tightly contested event. It is about time, for the sake of all Australians, that the opposition considered taking a bipartisan approach to this issue. That is what the Australian people want. They do not want us arguing about it; they just want us to do it.

I see Mr Entsch, the Chief Opposition Whip, sitting opposite. I remember doing a 7.30 Report program with him on the role of the whips, some time last year, and I have never had so much positive feedback from something I have done on television in all the time I have been here—as positive as it always is, Madam Deputy Speaker. I believe the feedback was so positive because they saw Mr Entsch and I agreeing and working together. That is what the Australian people want. On the big issues, and even the small issues like ‘whipping’, they want the major parties, just now and again at least, to come together and agree on something and get on with the job.

That is my very strong view about what is happening in terms of the community’s view on climate change. I think the Liberal Party—and indeed the National Party, but I might be dreaming now—would be doing itself a great service by getting on board the climate change issue and working with us to put the appropriate measures in place. If that means a change of leader, so be it. If Mr Abbott wants to stick his head in the sand and hold his party back, or even take it back to 19th century views, that is a matter for Mr Abbott, but I think the party has a choice and I think it should take the opportunity to rid him of the leadership if that is what it takes to get the consensus.

Last but not least, I am aware that the opposition have now pulled a stunt and moved an amendment with respect to youth allowance. It is a stunt. It has never been done in the 15 years I have been here. It is very clear that if this appropriations bill were amended it would knock out the appropriations and cut off the supply of finance to the government. It is the most irresponsible thing I have seen in the 15 years I have been in this place. The youth allowance policy is a good policy, but the Prime Minister has agreed to review it. For the opposition to try to score a few more political points by coming in here and amending an appropriation bill, which would cut off the supply of money to the government and payment of salaries to public servants and everything that goes with that, I think is highly irresponsible. Shame on them. They should see the error of their ways, withdraw the amendment and not waste the time of the main chamber by voting on another amendment which is nothing more than a stunt. We have had the youth allowance fight three or four times now in both chambers, but they want to have it again. Apparently, they think they are on a winner; I can tell them that they are flogging a dead horse. (Time expired)

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