Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Regional Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister promised she would wear out her shoe leather consulting with the Australian people about the carbon tax. I thought I would save the Prime Minister a little bit of time. I distributed postcards in my electorate and invited people to give some feedback to the Prime Minister, to send Julia Gillard a message. Those opposite like to talk about people of no consequence. They harangue, they bully and they belittle their opponents, but I invited the people in my community to have their say. This is what they said. Graham from Traralgon said, 'What happened to Labor being the party of the people for the people? This current city-centric attitude of pandering to the Greens is not governing for the people but the noisy minority.' Irene from Traralgon said, 'The carbon tax will be catastrophic for the Latrobe Valley. We simply won't cope with the ripple effect of the lost jobs. Totally over the Greens.'

Prime Minister, here is another one. This is from Marie, in Traralgon. 'Julia, you promised no carbon tax and now you've changed your mind. This is an absolute betrayal to the people who voted for you.'

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Regional Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sorry, I missed the interjection. Do you think I made them up? Nine hundred people responded and 32 of them were in favour of your carbon tax.

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gippsland will address his remarks through the chair.

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Regional Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I invite those opposite to really make history, to be on the right side of history. Stand up for the workers. Get up and walk across here and help us dump the carbon tax and dump your relationship with the Australian Greens.