Sophie Mirabella (Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science) Share this | Hansard source

Minister, given the government has now unceremoniously dumped the cash for clunkers program, was the coalition not correct all along to maintain that this was nothing other than an ill-conceived idea? Why did the cash for clunkers policy not have adequate preparatory work done on it before it was announced as ALP policy during the 2010 election? Seeing that you are now arguing that the carbon tax will be introduced at a price well south of $40 a tonne, why was a scheme that would have cost $430 a tonne ever announced as policy? Surely you now concede that it was a ridiculous policy at that sort of price tag. Is it true that the industry department alerted the government to there being a clear risk that the rollout of the cash for clunkers program would replicate the kinds of problems experienced in the government's disastrously bungled Home Insulation Program?

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