Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Warringah moving immediately:

(1)

That this House suspend proceedings forthwith so that the Prime Minister and the Treasurer can defend themselves against the very serious charge of deceiving the Australian people about the introduction of a carbon tax, in particular, that the Prime Minister and the Treasurer address the following questions before the full scrutiny of this House:

(a)

how the Prime Minister can claim any semblance of a mandate for her carbon tax when she said, five days before the election “there will be no carbon tax under the government I lead”;

(b)

how the Prime Minister can maintain the trust of the Australian people when she said one day before the election that “I rule out a carbon tax”;

(c)

how the Treasurer can be trusted with a trillion dollar economy when he said six days before the election that he “rejected this hysterical allegation that somehow we are moving towards a carbon tax … we certainly reject that”;

(d)

how the Treasurer can ever be believed again when he said, in relation to a carbon tax, that “we have made our position very clear. We have ruled it out”; and

(2)

that the Prime Minister and Treasurer stand before the people of Australia whose trusts they have abused and whose mandate they do not have, to argue why a carbon tax won’t destroy jobs, the economy and our standard of living.

The Prime Minister today stood up before her caucus colleagues and said that she was very confident she could win a debate on the carbon tax. If she is so confident, why did she not have the debate before the last election? If she is so confident, why will she not have the debate with the next election? The fact of the matter is that this Prime Minister knows she cannot win any debate on a carbon tax because she knows (a) that it is bad policy and (b) that it is based on a lie.

We had the Treasurer stand up in this parliament today boasting—hysterically, almost—about what a courageous decision it was. I will tell you what, Mr Speaker: it would have been courageous to talk about it before the election. That is what courageous governments do: they talk about things before an election, not after an election. The courageous thing for this government to do now would be to seek a mandate for the carbon tax that it ruled out before the election and now has ruled in. If the Prime Minister and the Treasurer were so confident about the case for a carbon tax, why did they go to the last election running on a lie? They say that they want to give business certainty. If the Prime Minister was so keen to give business certainty, why did she sabotage the former Prime Minister’s campaign to have an emissions trading scheme in the last term of parliament? Perhaps it was not the Prime Minister who went in to see Kevin Rudd and sabotaged the ETS; perhaps it was a body double? Perhaps it was not the Prime Minister who stood up before the Channel 10 cameras during the election and said, ‘There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead.’ Maybe it was a body double.

This is the Prime Minister who understands business so well. Oh yes, she knows what business wants. She knows that business demands certainty. The certainty that it is going to get from this government is the certainty of taxes, taxes and yet more taxes. That is the last certainty that the businesses of Australia want—higher taxes. I have a little lesson for the Prime Minister and for the Treasurer. Higher taxes do not generate more investment. Higher taxes do not improve an economy. Business might want certainty, but it does not want the certainty of ever more taxes under a government that it just cannot trust.

Let me remind the House of these words that should echo around this chamber every day between now and the next election—these words that will haunt the Prime Minister every day that is left to her in this parliament. She said: ‘There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead. I rule out a carbon tax.’ The truth is—I regret to say it of the person who holds the highest elected office in this country—that she told a lie to win votes and she broke a promise to form a government. It was a breach of faith—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I remind the Leader of the Opposition that this is a motion for the suspension of standing and sessional orders. It is not a substantive motion and therefore he should be very careful with his language. On that occasion he should withdraw the remark.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In deference I withdraw. I accept your admonition but I am entitled to say, Mr Speaker, that this Prime Minister broke faith with the Australian public. This Prime Minister behaved in a contemptible way by telling a deliberate untruth to the Australian people before the last election.

It is very important that we suspend standing orders and we give this Prime Minister a chance to come clean. Why did she say it? Why did she say, ‘There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead’? Did she think a carbon tax was bad in principle? Did she suffer from blind political panic just a few days out from an election? The Prime Minister must have known at that stage of the parliament that the Greens were likely to hold a balance of power in the Senate, so we cannot have any of this subsequent rationalisation, any of this obfuscation: ‘Everything changes after polling day.’ She knew full well that the Greens were likely to have a balance of power in the Senate and she knew full well that the Greens wanted a carbon tax. So why, oh why, did this Prime Minister stand up and say repeatedly, ‘There will be no carbon tax under a government that I lead’?

But that is not the only untruth that we heard from the Prime Minister during the election campaign. Remember the climate change citizens’ assembly? Remember the 12 months that the Prime Minister was going to spend building consensus? Well, 12 months have not passed; consensus has not been achieved and yet we now have, in total breach of faith with the Australian people, a carbon tax foisted on the Australian people by this bad, untrustworthy, lying government.

Let’s not hear any more from this Prime Minister, ‘I’m following the John Howard precedent.’ John Howard was a gutsy Prime Minister. John Howard was prepared to tell people before an election what he wanted to do. He would never have said one thing before an election and done something completely different after an election. So let us be absolutely crystal clear about what this government is doing: this government has broken faith with the Australian people. This government is seeking to do what this parliament has no mandate to do. This Prime Minister is asking this parliament to engage in a conspiracy against the Australian people.

Only one member of this parliament—the member for Melbourne—had the guts to say to the people before the election, ‘I support a carbon tax.’ Not one single member of this parliament apart from him had the guts to say that. This parliament has no mandate for a carbon tax. For this parliament to seek to impose a carbon tax would be a betrayal of democracy. It would be a betrayal of the Prime Minister’s word. It would be a betrayal of any trust between the people and the government. Any carbon tax that is legislated by this parliament would be the l-i-e lie tax. I would like to think that deep within the heart of even this Prime Minister is the desire not to live a lie. So do not put this tax in; seek a mandate first—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will withdraw.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I besought the Prime Minister not to live a lie but if—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will withdraw.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

that is offensive I withdraw.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Ewen Jones interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Herbert is warned.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a simple point of order. You asked the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw. He knows how to do it and he should do it properly.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I believe he withdrew, eventually. He withdrew.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion. On a number of occasions over the last few days we have asked the Prime Minister of this country and the Treasurer of this country to defend their integrity. We have asked them to explain why, immediately before the election on numerous occasions, they deliberately sought a mandate to rule out a carbon tax and yet after the election they want to implement a carbon tax.

We have asked them to stand up for their courage. They have refused to do so. We have asked them to stand up for their integrity. They have refused to do so. These are the two most important public figures in the land—the Prime Minister and the Treasurer—and they are refusing to protect their personal integrity. Their sole defence is to attack the integrity of others. Their sole defence is to say something about another person, but they do not have the courage to defend themselves. They do not have the courage to defend their words. This means that this couple, who have become the Bonnie and Clyde of public policy, are not fit to occupy the offices. They have no mandate for government, they have no mandate for a carbon tax and they have no courage at all—not in this place, not amongst the public. It is quite unbelievable—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I remind the member for North Sydney that this is a motion for the suspension of standing orders; it is not a debate upon the substantive motion.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is why we are inviting the government to join us in suspending standing orders so there can be a debate about their integrity. We are providing a format and a platform for the Prime Minister to show courage, to show personal integrity, to show Australia that she is a person with some conviction. We are inviting the Treasurer to come before the Australian people and show that he does have some semblance of courage. But that courage was not on display when the Prime Minister announced the new tax. This is a Treasurer who has overseen the introduction or increase of 13 new taxes in four years and, for the most spectacular and largest of them all, he was cowering under his desk while the Prime Minister was outside in the parliamentary courtyard explaining to the Australian people why she was breaking a solemn promise. The Treasurer can cower under his desk like a modern-day George Costanza, but I say to him you cannot come into this place and run away from a debate on your integrity. You cannot come into this place and pretend that somehow everyone else is responsible for your foibles. If you seek to occupy a high office in this land, at some point in time you have to have the courage to look the Australian people in the eye and be honest. You have to have the confidence to explain to the Australian people why you want to introduce new policy.

The fact is that today in this place the Treasurer is running away from questions about his integrity and the Prime Minister is running away from questions about her integrity. It leaves the Australian people wondering who is running the shop. You can see the dynamics on their side of the House. Last night on Q&A Bill Shorten could not mention Greg Combet’s name enough, tying the minister for climate change to the Prime Minister and wrapping them around each other. They are solely responsible for this initiative, he said. How true it is! I say to Lady Macbeth watch out for the others because they will come after you. Ultimately, what did the previous Prime Minister in—and you held the knife—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney will address his remarks through the chair and address members by their titles.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What did the previous Prime Minister in was that the Australian people no longer believed him—and now his successor can no longer be believed. I say to these people stand up for your integrity and show some courage. Do not give us the hilarious and hysterical laughter; actually give us some leadership. You were elected to lead. Do not cower away from the Australian people.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney will address his remarks through the chair.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And now we have heard everything in this parliament—a lecture on courage from a man who tweeted and asked people to tell him what he should think on climate change! He is the man for whom the expression ‘no ticker’ was actually generated. He is a man who is hollow, without courage, and does not know what to believe in. He tried to get the leadership of the Liberal Party on the basis that he would say: ‘I don’t know anything, I don’t think anything, I don’t believe in anything. Everybody on the backbench can have a conscience vote.’ He is a man without courage and a man without integrity, because he has said in the past that he stands for a price on carbon and now he is walking away from it.

There are some days in question time where there is one moment that symbolises and comes to be the fulcrum on which a debate changes, and we have had that moment today. I have been saying to the Australian people that this is a desperate fear campaign built on a foundation of lies from the opposition—and we have had that proved today in just one moment. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition came into the parliament today and put to me the following question:

I refer the Prime Minister to her unequivocal statement on Sunday … that:

Every cent raised from pricing carbon will go to assisting households …

What she did in formulating that question was to cut the sentence in half. What I said was that every cent raised from pricing carbon will go to assisting households, to helping businesses transition and to programs to tackle climate change. This was one moment that symbolises a campaign of dishonesty—bringing in a transcript and deliberately cutting it in half to give a false and dishonest impression to the Australian people. That one moment symbolises what this opposition is about: a campaign of dishonesty.

The Leader of the Opposition has been out saying to the Australian people, ‘You’ll pay this dollar figure more, or that dollar figure more for the things that you buy.’ Well, let us just go to a statement from Woolworths—and they’d know a bit about pricing, wouldn’t they! They have said very clearly that they could not forecast the potential price impacts until more details of the scheme were released. Every time the Leader of the Opposition has used a dollar figure, every time he has stood in a shop, every time he has stood next to a car and put petrol in it he has been misleading the Australian people—a campaign of dishonesty, a campaign of fear, a foundation of lies from the Leader of the Opposition.

Let us continue going through the dishonesty, the foundation of lies, that the Liberal Party now relies on. Let us look at the track record of the Leader of the Opposition in dealing with the question of pricing carbon. This will tell you how contentless he is, how he will say anything, how he will do anything on the question of climate change. He has said the following in relation to the Rudd government:

The Rudd government has a mandate to deal with climate change.

He was in this parliament today denying a mandate. He said about the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme:

If the government substantially accepts our amendments then there is no reason why this legislation cannot be passed.

He said that in the past. He has said in the past:

I also think that if you want to put a price on carbon, why not just do it with a simple tax.

They are statements made by the Leader of the Opposition, and when the government moves to price carbon, despite him having made those statements, despite him having supported pricing carbon, despite him in fact having directly supported a carbon tax as the best system, he decides that his political interest lies in generating fear. It is a campaign built on dishonesty and a foundation of lies. Should it be a surprise to the Australian community that this man, when faced with choosing between the nation’s interest and his own political interest, would say every time, ‘My own political interest comes first’? He believes in profiting at the nation’s expense. He believes that if he can profit from the nation going to economic ruin, if he can prosper from the economy going downhill, then he will do so.

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Ruddock interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Berowra is warned!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The authority for this—that he always puts politics first—is actually the Leader of the Opposition himself.

Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Simpkins interjecting

Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Symon interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Cowan is warned! The member for Deakin should be careful.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He has said, for example:

Look, certainly, I think the politics of this issue has changed. I think the politics of this issue has changed dramatically.

This is a man who basically has admitted that the only thing that drives him is the politics. He went on to say:

I don’t think my assessments of the science or of the policy ever changed that much. I think all that really changed was my assessment of the politics of the issue.

He is a man who believes in nothing, who will do and say anything, who will say any misleading statement that comes into his mind in order to politically profit.

Who has caught this the best? Who has best summarised this for the Australian people? Is it me as Prime Minister, as someone here who debates in this parliament? Is it someone on the government benches? Is it someone in the media? No, it is not. The person who best caught all of this about the Leader of the Opposition is the member for Wentworth, when he said:

Many Liberals are rightly dismayed that on this vital issue of climate change we are not simply without a policy, without any prospect of having a credible policy but we are now … also without integrity. We have given our opponents the irrefutable, undeniable evidence that we cannot be trusted …

This was the member for Wentworth’s critique of the leadership of this Leader of the Opposition. This was the member for Wentworth saying to the Australian community that, though he holds a Liberal Party card—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume her seat. The House will come to order! The member for North Sydney on a point of order.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just as you expected us to speak to the motion about the Prime Minister defending her personal integrity, I ask you to bring the Prime Minister—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney will resume his seat! Just a friendly warning: next time he approaches the dispatch box with a point of order of that ilk, he should not indicate in any way his disquiet with any ruling that I have given. I think that I gave both himself as the seconder of the motion and the Leader of the Opposition a fair degree of allowance. This is a motion on a suspension of standing and sessional orders. Rarely has it been mentioned in the debate. The Prime Minister has the call.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of course we know the shadow Treasurer, in his bitterness and his shame, does not want to hear the words of the member for Wentworth about the Leader of the Opposition, but they are true words about the Leader of the Opposition. Let us be clear about this debate and where it will lead us. We went to the last election saying to the Australian people, ‘We have to price carbon.’ We went to the last election saying to the Australian people—

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No carbon tax! No carbon tax!

Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No carbon tax! No carbon tax!

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney is warned! The member for Canning is warned!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

the best way of doing that is through a market based mechanism where the market sets the price—

Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Symon interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Deakin is warned!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

where we cap the quantity of carbon pollution and the market sets the price. That is what we will achieve. We said to the Australian people we would do it and we will do it. We will stare down the dishonesty of the Liberal Party, we will stare down its fear campaigning, we will stare down its bitterness, we will stare down its lack of leadership, we will stare down its wont to wreck the Australian economy and we will get this done, despite the Leader of the Opposition, despite the shadow Treasurer and despite all of their antics and conduct and fear.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sturt will resume his place. For the record, I will admit that the Prime Minister got an extra 10 seconds—10 seconds! If that was a hanging crime, take me out. The question is that the motion moved by the Leader of the Opposition for the suspension of standing and sessional orders be agreed to.

Question put.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.