Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister. Aren't you aware of who your Prime Minister is? She made the pledge that she would strengthen the role of the national parliament in the decisions that affect the everyday lives of Australians. That was the Prime Minister's pledge—

A government member: Miaow!

to the Independents and to the Australian people, yet she has trashed that pledge, as she has trashed every promise to the Australian people. The fact is that she looked the Australian people in the eye and said, 'There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead,' and yet she now seeks to impose it.

The Prime Minister also said in the National Press Club address that she believed Australians wanted greater scrutiny of their government. Well, yes, they do, and they want to be able to scrutinise this government's carbon tax through the parlia­ment. They want their questions, through their representatives, answered by this Prime Minister, yet she is scurrying away from Canberra. After the lights have been turned out, after the people have left, after the members are back in their electorates, then the Prime Minister wants to make a speech on national television about the carbon tax so that she cannot be asked questions in this parliament. She is avoiding scrutiny. She is trashing parliamentary democracy. She has broken the pledge she made to the Independents about the supremacy of this parliament and she cannot be believed on anything she says. This carbon tax is based on a lie. The Prime Minister's credibility is in tatters.

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