Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There once was a time when the Liberal Party believed in building a strong economy and protecting the environment—no longer. What those opposite do in this place is support some of our expenditure, oppose most of our savings and allege that they will repeal most of the revenue base through legislation that will build a strong economy and do things to assist Australians from the Torres Strait to Tasmania and from Palm Beach to Perth.

What we are doing in relation to a price on carbon is in the great Labor tradition. We have made great reforms in this country in terms of Medicare, compulsory superannuation, the age pension, and the National Disability Insurance Scheme—we have started rolling out money in that regard. But it is important to be accurate when it comes to the impact of the price on carbon on our households, on our companies, on our communities and on our councils. It is also important to look at the assistance that is being rolled out across the country.

It is important for people to understand that, across the chamber, those opposite, when it comes to tax cuts, family tax assistance, pension rises and the help that is important to all Australians—regardless of whether they live up in the Torres Strait, in Tasmania or in the east or west of this country—cannot bring themselves to support those measures. They cannot even guarantee that, if they come to this side of the Treasury benches, they will maintain the pension and family tax benefit rises, maintain the tax cuts and support companies as they transition to a clean energy future. They will not make that guarantee.

They came into this place and actually voted against a schoolkids bonus. Having supported an education tax refund, they opposed a schoolkids bonus. The assistance that we are rolling out to adjust the economy and help families with the impact of the price on carbon those opposite will not support. They will not support it and they will not talk about it. And they will not guarantee, as they go around in their mobile offices, as they sit in their electorate offices, as they do their street stalls and as they go to their country shows, that support. They will claw it back.

When it comes to this place, one of the most disgraceful things I have ever seen is the way the opposition belittle the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs when she accurately states that that is what they will do. They constantly make fun of the minister for families. What they are doing is making fun of families across the country, of pensioners, of self-funded superannuation retirees, of companies and of small business operators across the country—those hardworking Australians. What they are doing by their opposition is showing that they do not care. They feign care in this place but they do not care. When it comes to their vote, they show that they do not care. They do not care about the environment and they do not care about the economy. They do not care about families and individuals across the country. It is important to note why we are doing this. On this side of the chamber we believe in the power of the market. We believe in free enterprise and we believe in competition. We do; those opposite adopt a Stalinist solution to climate change—a command-economy style approach. And the member for Flinders, what a road to Damascus conversion experience he has had!

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