Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to rise and speak against the Family Assistance and Other Legislation Amendment (Schoolkids Bonus Budget Measures) Bill 2012 as the member for Macarthur did so well just now. It was an excellent contribution on behalf of his constituents, who he understands very well. He also understands that this sugar-hit bill for the carbon tax that is about to hit Australian families will not work because Australian families no longer trust the government, which told them that there would be no carbon tax in the first place.

Directly before the last election, members of this House will know, the Prime Minister said on Channel 10 that 'there will be no carbon tax under a government I lead'. Of course, we are now just days and hours away from that carbon tax coming into place. So this bill that we are debating today, which is being rushed on by the government, has had no government speakers on it because it is so hard to justify, even from the government's perspective. Government members do not want to be on the record justifying what is an attempt to provide a sugar hit.

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