David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

I stand in unison with the member for Riverina and the shadow minister over this shameful display by the government of running away from democracy and running away from the House, a house where this debate should be held in an open and transparent way. The Prime Minister promised us on election night that there would be a different parliament. He lambasted us when we were in government, saying that we didn't have a transparent system in terms of the legislation that came through here. But, with a bill as important as this—putting in place a new tax, not just on farmers and tradies but on young families—we should be debating its merits.

When it comes to the intent of the bill, I don't think anyone actually challenges that there is a need for a vehicle emissions standard, but we need technology and time to achieve that. This is a reckless race by the government to achieve a target by 2030 that will impose a tax on the Australian people. In my mind, it would be important for the Australian people to hear the debate and allow the science and the actual arguments to be put forward in front of the Australian people so they understand why they are paying this tax and how it could have been avoided. And it could be avoided. The manufacturers are moving towards this, if they are given time and technology to achieve it.

But what we have seen—the reason we are going down this path—is that this government have made a big international commitment on the international stage, putting their chest out, telling us that they're going to get a 42 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 and it is to be achieved by getting to 82 per cent renewables by 2030. But there has been an epiphany for the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, who realises that we do not even have the supply chain to achieve 82 per cent renewables by 2030. There isn't the supply chain of wind turbines and solar panels. Between now and 2030, 40 wind turbines a month must be installed and 22,000 panels a day must be laid. It is unachievable. He doesn't want to go back on the international stage—he understands he's not going to be able to achieve that 42 per cent, because his 82 per cent target has been blown to smithereens.

Instead, he has reached to the vehicle emissions standards and brought that forward so that it imposes a tax on vehicles for their emissions and does not allow manufacturers to catch up and allow the technology to solve this problem, which would be common sense. That's what we are saying. Let's bring to this parliament the common sense of allowing technology to catch up, instead of imposing a tax on farmers and tradies. For a LandCruiser wagon ute, you're talking about an extra $20,000. If you go to a HiLux ute, you're talking about nearly $10,000 extra on the purchase price of that vehicle. If you look at a RAV4, it is over $9,000 extra.

For young families, let me tell you, an SUV is a tool of trade. You can't go to the supermarket and have a pram in the back and put the car seats in for the kids unless you've got an SUV. How do you say to these young families, 'We are going to tax your vehicle, your tool of trade'? This affects families not just in the bush but in the cities. They have this utopian idea about EVs, but, let me tell you, I've got properties in my own electorate where EVs wouldn't get to the front gate before they have to be recharged.

This is the insanity of the ideology that's being imposed. This blanket ideology doesn't appreciate the very fabric of what this country is, what makes up this fabric. It's not all about those in capital cities. There are some of us—in fact, 30 per cent of us—that live outside a capital city and should be taken into account. You know what? Much of the budget surplus that was heralded here was actually earned in regional and rural Australia, either through agriculture or resources. If we're not provided the tools to be able to achieve that, then these surpluses are gone. What we are saying is this that there should be a proper debate and understanding of what every Australian will go through and what every Australian will pay because of an ideology rushed, because of a target that is wanted to be achieved before the technology is there to achieve it. We've all signed up. We're all ready to go, but you've got to use some commonsense. This government is afraid of this parliament. This government is afraid of its people, but, make no mistake, there will be a day of reckoning in less than 12 months.

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