Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I have no doubt touched a nerve here with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister. It is highly ironic that we are talking about getting rid of subsidies for the car industry, because many on that side see those subsidies as inefficient, as propping up industries that are no longer effective in our economy. So they are talking about getting rid of subsidies for the car industry but in the same breath they come into this place and then talk about providing subsidies to companies to reduce their carbon emissions within our economy. It is an unbelievable and bizarre irony in the policy approach of the government to this important issue. Anyone with any economic credibility knows that a market based mechanism is the only way that we are going to be able to reduce emissions in our economy.

I find the mandate argument even more amusing. In 2007 Kevin Rudd had a mandate to introduce an emissions trading scheme. At no stage did the Prime Minister accept that mandate. In fact, he went about destroying two Liberal Party leaders until he got his way and ensured that the Liberal Party never had and never supported an emissions trading scheme. He undid Brendan Nelson when he was the Leader of the Liberal Party and then he set about destroying Malcolm Turnbull when he was the Leader of the Liberal Party and never accepted the mandate that was given to Kevin Rudd on this important issue. The only thing that is certain under direct action is that jobs will fall and we will not meet our emissions targets.

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