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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister wear out her shoe leather next week visiting car workers at Geelong, steelworkers at Port Kembla, coalminers in the Hunter and the Illawarra, and transport workers in Queanbeyan, as I have? Why won't the Prime Minister talk to the workers—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Order! Those on my right will come to order.

Dr Emerson interjecting—

Order! The Minister for Trade!

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Throw him out!

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

I do not need the member for Riverina to give me assistance. The Leader of the Opposition has the call and he will be heard in silence.

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

Why won't this Prime Minister talk to the workers whose jobs her carbon tax will kill?

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

I certainly will be out speaking to Australians next week about the facts about carbon pricing, and I trust the Leader of the Opposition is out apologising to people for the false claims he has made.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

He can start by apologising to everybody that he told about a 6.5c a litre increase in the price of petrol—wholly untrue and something that the Leader of the Opposition has been around the country trying to raise fear about. As I am around the country talking to Australian workers and Australian families about the facts on carbon pricing, I hope the Leader of the Opposition is out telling them the facts about his 'subsidy for polluters' plan and, most particularly, the entry on page 14 that records his plan to penalise businesses, to put penalties on them. I hope he is out and about telling Australian workers whether it is their business that he is going to put a penalty on. I hope he is out and about telling Australian families about the cost impacts which will flow through to them because of those penalties and I hope he tells those families that he is not proposing to give them any assistance at all, that what he wants to do is take $720 off them and give it to big polluters. I hope he is out and about with those facts.

I will be out and about talking to people about the truth about carbon pricing; about the science and the need to act; about the imposition of a price on the biggest polluters in this country, on big businesses; about the way that will enable them to innovate and cut carbon pollution; about the jobs that our clean energy future will promise this country; about the tax cuts and increases in pensions and payments for Australian families; about the measures to protect Australian jobs and the measures to tackle climate change. I will certainly be very proud to be out and about talking about those facts.

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

I ask a supplementary question of the Prime Minister. While the Prime Minister is wearing out her shoe leather, will she apologise to the Australian people for saying, six days before the last election, 'There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead'? And, Mr Speaker, she will not face the workers, she will not face the people, she will not face the parliament.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order!

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Isn't it true that she has stopped listening to—

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The last two-thirds of that alleged question from the Leader of the Opposition was nothing like a question. It was just a rant from the Leader of the Opposition.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! I declare a general warning and I am very serious about it. The first question from the Leader of the Opposition was met with great noise from my right and, equally, the response from the Prime Minister was met with great noise from my left. I have a sense that members in this chamber are really ignoring how we are perceived from outside. I do not need people's assistance about naming people; you are now all under a warning. I will simply respond to the Leader of the House's point of order by saying, yes, there is a limit to my tolerance about argument in questions but there was such uproar that, whilst I had a feeling where the question was going, I did not hear it. But I say to the Leader of the Opposition that there is a limit even to the licence that is given to leaders of parties.

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

My supplementary question to the Prime Minister is: while she is wearing out her shoe leather next week will she apologise to the Australian people for saying, six days before the last election, 'There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead'? I further ask the Prime Minister on this supplementary: is it not true that she has stopped listening to the people and the people have stopped listening to her?

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

I say to the Leader of the Opposition: anger is no substitute for leadership and personal insults are no substitute for policy. I will be out and about around the nation next week, talking to Australians about a strong future for this country. I will be out and about talking about the challenge that climate change poses to the future of our nation. I accept the science. I will be out and about talking to Australians about the most efficient way of tackling carbon pollution. I accept the expert advice of economists. I will be talking to them—

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

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order on direct relevance. What about that word 'sorry', Prime Minister?

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

The Leader of the Opposition knows that was not a point of order. He knows that there was a general warning.

Mr Symon interjecting—

He was a saved species already, member for Deakin, but I think that somebody might tell you what a general warning means. I simply say to the Leader of the Opposition that he is very lucky. I want to operate a chamber that can work and I am not sure that, if I were to take the appropriate action against him, we would have the chamber. My tolerance is at its complete limit. That was not a point of order, and I think that these types of actions should be quietened down. The Prime Minister has the call; she will be heard in silence.

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

I will be talking about the most efficient way of cutting carbon pollution, which is to put a price on carbon. I will be talking about how Prime Minister Howard believed that. I will be talking to Australian families about the cost-of-living pressures on their shoulders and, consequ­ently, I will be explaining to them our plan to assist nine out of ten households through tax cuts and payment increases. I will be talking to Australian families about their rightful concern about job security. There is nothing more important to Australian families than having the benefits of—

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

The Prime Minister will resume her seat. I am not running a commentary, but read the second part of the question and then come back to me at some stage and tell me why this response is not relevant or even directly relevant to that part. I am indicating to the Leader of the Opposition that the line has well and truly been met. The Prime Minister has the call and she will be heard in silence.

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

I understand that Australian families have legitimate concerns about job security. There is nothing more important to people than having the benefits of work. Consequently, I will be explaining to them how the carbon pricing package will protect Australian jobs today and ensure that our nation is prosperous and has the benefits of a clean-energy future.

I will of course be speaking to Australians about any issue they want to raise with me. I suspect that they will want to raise issues with me about what was said during the election campaign, and I will be happy to answer their questions. I will be happy to explain to them that the carbon tax is temporary and that the emissions trading scheme is permanent. I will be happy to explain to them that I always wanted to achieve an emissions trading scheme for this nation, and we will. I will be happy to explain to them that we have got there via a different route than the one I foresaw at the election campaign, but we will seize that clean-energy future.

I will be explaining to them that the Leader of the Opposition was a member of the Howard cabinet that authorised an emissions trading scheme. I will be explaining to them that the Leader of the Opposition has been in favour of an emissions trading scheme and in favour of a carbon tax. I will be explaining to them that he is now opposed to a carbon tax and he is now opposed to an emissions trading scheme. I will be explaining to them that that is not leadership. Leadership is about saying to the country that we have to chart the best course for the future. Leadership is about saying to the country that there are difficult things we need to do in order to do the right thing by our environment and by our economy for the future.

I will be saying to the country that, as a nation, as a people we are up to doing this together. The time to do it is now. Our economy is strong, and while our economy is strong is the right time to be addressing a major reform. Nothing hard gets easier because you leave it in the too-hard basket, so I will be explaining to them that, as Prime Minister, I intend to lead this nation through this difficult reform. It will strengthen us for the future and we will get it done.

Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, why is it important to the Australian economy that the government put a price on carbon pollution? Treasurer, how has this approach been received and what is the government's response?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Braddon for that question. We on this side of the House have understood for a long time the dangers of ignoring climate change in terms of our environment and our economy. We have understood the need to tackle climate change in the most cost-efficient way possible. We also understand that, if you put a price on carbon pollution, you have to assist households and you have to support jobs. We are putting a price on carbon pollution, to be paid by up to 1,000 of our largest polluters.

We simply cannot afford to put this challenge in the too hard-basket for any longer. Certainty demands action. That is why we are seeing such strong support from the business community for a price on carbon pollution. Overnight, 55 companies have come out in support of putting a price on carbon pollution—companies such as GE, Grocon, AGL, IKEA and so on. This is what the CEO of Grocon had to say:

Personally, I’m in favour of a cost on carbon. As I look forward in Australia, I see us at the threshold of some fantastic times and I get disillusioned when I see some critical decisions that need to be made for our future getting bogged down in politics.

He is absolutely correct. Of course that is why organisations such as the BCA and the AiG are supporting a price on carbon, and that is why some of our biggest energy companies are also supporting a price on carbon—companies such as Santos, Rio Tinto, BHP, Origin Energy, Gloucester Coal and so on. That is why on this side of the House we understand that we must make this transition to a clean energy future. As we make that transition we do have to provide support to households. Nine in 10 households will receive a combination of tax cuts, increased payments and pension increases. Of course we will provide additional assistance to those on the lowest incomes.

All of this stands in stark contrast to the approach of others who have a policy of subsidies for polluters and, of course, a policy which will not provide any assistance to households. The Leader of the Opposition was on The7.30 Report a couple of nights ago and he finally admitted that his policy will result in a direct slug on households—a direct slug of $720 per household. Of course that money will go directly to the biggest polluters in the country. You cannot put a slug of $720 on households and then pretend that you care about cost-of-living pressures in our community.

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

Order! The Treasurer will resume his seat. The level of chatter was too high and, from the grins, I have seen a set-up before. I did spend 11 long years in opposition and I know the tactics. I indicate that I might have to choose some of the people in leadership positions who might take the rap for the rest. The Treasurer has the call.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You cannot say that you care about cost-of-living pressures when you are going to rip back tax cuts. You certainly cannot say that you care about cost-of-living pressures when you are going to slug households $720. Of course we all know that the Leader of the Opposition has no respect for economists and those on his backbench have no respect for his economics as well because we have a new underground econ­omic policy group, which has been formed by the member for Higgins, because they are so aghast at the lack of any alternative economic policy from the opposition benches. It is going to take a lot more than dusting off Work Choices and promising unfunded tax cuts to give this Leader of the Opposition some economic credibility. (Time expired)