Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

For the benefit of the House, since I do not believe that the motion to do with the Clean Energy legislation was circulated in time, I will read it so that the House knows what we are doing. I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the following occurring in respect of the Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2014, the True-up Shortfall Levy (General) (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2014, the True-up Shortfall Levy (Excise) (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2014, the Customs Tariff Amendment (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2014, the Excise Tariff Amendment (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2014, the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2014, the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2014, and the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2014:

(1) the bills being presented and read a first time together;

(2) one motion being moved for the second readings of the bills together and debate continuing without delay;

(3) at the conclusion of the second reading debate one question being put on any amendments moved to motions for the second readings and one question being put on the second readings of the bills together;

(4) if the second readings of the bills have been agreed to, messages from the Governor-General recommending appropriations for any of the bills being announced together;

(5) the consideration in detail stages, if required, on the bills being taken together with a single debate taking place on any amendments moved, and (a) one question being put on any Government amendments, (b) one question being put on any amendments which have been moved by opposition Members, (c) any necessary questions being put on amendments moved by any other Member, and (d) any further questions necessary to complete the detail stage being put;

(6) at the conclusion of the detail stage, one question being put on the third readings of the bills together; and

(7) any variation to this arrangement to be made only by a motion moved by a Minister

This motion is a debate management motion to ensure that the House of Representatives can deal expeditiously with the Carbon Tax Repeal bills that were not passed by the Senate last Thursday as the government had anticipated. It is not proposed that the government entertain a long debate in this parliament about the repeal of the carbon tax. Obviously last year's election in September was an election referendum on a mandate to repeal the carbon tax. The coalition was successful at that election, making it perfectly clear that the Australian public expected the carbon tax to be repealed. The Labor Party and their allies in the Greens and the Left in general decided to thumb their nose at the will of the Australian public, to ignore the mandate that the coalition had achieved in the election and to, bizarrely, decide to cling to a policy that has been one of the most unpopular in history, based on a lie, at the election in 2010 that there would never be a carbon tax introduced under the Labor Party. In fact, the quote was, 'There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead'.

I anticipate that the House of Representatives will today, because of this debate management motion, pass this package of carbon tax repeal bills together—seven related bills in addition the Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2014. The Minister for the Environment will outline to the House some of the measures that we will be introducing in this bill that are amendments to the original bills, which have been agreed with the other crossbench members in both this House and the Senate.

I would then anticipate that these bills will go to the Senate and be dealt with expeditiously there. The Australian public deserves nothing less. They have voted to abolish the carbon tax. Labor and the Greens have decided to cling to the carbon tax. The fact that they choose to do so only indicates how they remain in denial about both the result of last year's election and, more importantly, how much the Australian public did not support their policies in government. If they wish to keep clinging to them and if they wish to remain in denial, then they will remain in opposition for a long period of time.

I therefore would commend the suspension of standing orders and this motion to the House, so we can get on with the business of getting rid of the carbon tax once and for all.

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