Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

If the member had been listening, he would know I did not speak ill of the dead. I just reported what Frank Blevins told that congregation. That is what Senator Carr was doing in Whyalla. Let me come to the response the Labor Party is putting up, because they are here to 'rescue' the Australian steel industry. It is worth remembering that they inflicted the carbon tax on the Australian steel industry. But don't worry about that! They put an extra $100 million into the Steel Transformation Plan. We were told at the time by Julia Gillard and others that this had nothing to do with the carbon tax, that it was about building a new Australian industry, a transformed industry.

Mr Champion interjecting—

The member for Wakefield would do better to listen with his ears than his mouth, let me tell you. The $100 million was supposed to give us a modern, competitive Australian steel industry. What did it do? It went to pay your carbon tax. That is the problem here. And now the latest raft of remedies they have for the steel industry is to establish not one, not two but three new government bodies to have a look at the situation. They will appoint a board—

An honourable member interjecting—

I will tell you what I have done in minute, mate. It is to appoint a board to the Australian Industry Participation Authority to provide a new national steel supplier advocate and establish another body—a tripartite Metals Manufacturing Investment Council. Really? That is three new government committees—none of them with any clout—but the member just wants to waste the Australian taxpayers' money and their time. The member for Wakefield had a go at Malcolm Turnbull. Malcolm Turnbull came to Whyalla and he dropped off an 80,000 tonne order for Australian rail.

Mr Champion interjecting—

Madam Deputy Speaker, I ask that you pull the member for Wakefield into gear.

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