Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Macquarie for her question. I can inform her that this government has a strong, clear and consistent plan for Australia. We are stopping the boats; we are fixing the budget; and we are building the future, a future where every Australian can expect a fair go and every Australian is encouraged to have a go. We have a plan.

We will build a strong and prosperous economy for a safe and secure Australia. A prosperous economy is obviously an economy that creates jobs. And, if you want to create jobs, you have to cut taxes. I will say that again for the benefit of the members opposite: if you want to create jobs, you have to cut taxes. The carbon tax is a tax on jobs; it is a tax on every Australian family's cost of living; and the mining tax is a tax on investment and also a tax on jobs.

As I have been saying repeatedly for years now, the carbon tax is a $9 billion a year hit on jobs, as well as being a $550 a year hit on every household's cost of living. They are terrible taxes. The carbon tax will reduce the aluminium industry by over 60 per cent; it will reduce the steel industry by 20 per cent. That is what the Leader of the Opposition wants to do, it seems.

But I think that members opposite are having second thoughts about the high-taxing agenda of the Leader of the Opposition. We had the member for Fremantle stand up in caucus today and say 'get rid of the mining tax'. Well, she is right. Good on the member for Fremantle. She is speaking up for Western Australia. Is the Leader of the Opposition listening?

Mr Perrett interjecting—

This government will do whatever is needed to stop the carbon tax. We have legislation before the parliament, and just this week the relevant minister introduced a determination to stop the carbon tax auction, to stop the auction of permits. He is a very influential man, because it seems that members opposite agree with him. They are actually dismantling the mechanism to collect the carbon tax. Bill, make up your mind. Go the whole hog; stop the strike in the Senate and scrap this job-destroying tax.

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