House debates

Thursday, 19 March 2009

Questions without Notice

Employment

3:10 pm

Photo of Malcolm TurnbullMalcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the evidence that has emerged this week that the Prime Minister’s flawed emissions trading scheme will destroy thousands of jobs across Australia in the energy sector while doing little or nothing to protect the environment. Hasn’t the Prime Minister made matters worse by rushing a flawed emissions trading scheme, which will only destroy jobs and increase the risk of a Rudd recession?

Photo of Kevin RuddKevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question, because it is almost parallel to the point I was making before about Work Choices and the division between the purists and the pretenders.

Photo of Christopher PyneChristopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

That’s got nothing to do with it.

Photo of Kevin RuddKevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

No, it is highly relevant to the question that has just been asked, because on the question of jobs and Work Choices, which extends right across the employment market, we had the purist, the member for Bradfield, unseated by the pretender, the member for Wentworth—and we can see where they now stand on Work Choices—and on emissions trading the same thing, because the Leader of the Opposition sought to unseat—

Photo of Joe HockeyJoe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order on relevance. It is a question about the emissions trading scheme and jobs.

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Photo of Kevin RuddKevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

On the question of emissions trading, when the member for Wentworth was seeking to unseat the member for Bradfield as Leader of the Opposition, he did so on the basis of saying he was going to be green on the question of emissions trading.

Photo of Harry JenkinsHarry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition on the point of order?

Photo of Malcolm TurnbullMalcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I seek leave to move a motion of censure against the Prime Minister.

Leave not granted.