David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management) Share this | Hansard source

It is a serious issue—and I take the objection. But let me say that what they are creating is a check-out tax. It is not just the farm sector that will be penalised; it will be the processing sector. Twenty one per cent of the cost of processing the beast is for transport and energy. What those opposite will do is lift that portion of it up again. What that means is consumers will pay for this at the check-out. It's a check-out tax.

Mr Fitzgibbon interjecting—

The member for Hunter interjects. He had this brave moment after the political near-death experience he had on 18 May. He called out from under that rock where he was hiding for six years. And now, all of a sudden, the Left of the party have put their thumb back on his forehead and pushed him back under that rock he came from. For all the bravado he had after the election, he sold out the coal workers in the Hunter, he sold out the agricultural sector, because he is just not strong enough.

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