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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the Quicksilver Group, which employs 450 people in their Far North Queensland tourism business. Their annual fuel bill will increase by an estimated $250,000 a year under the government's carbon tax. Given the Prime Minister's own statement that Australia's tourism industry is already under pressure, why is the Prime Minister making a bad situation worse by imposing a job-destroying carbon tax?

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

The only job-destroying approach in this parliament is the one shown by the opposition, shown recklessly in relation to ripping out assistance from the car industry. The Leader of the Opposition has confirmed a half a billion dollar cutback and no more assistance after 2015. He has re-endorsed the Howard plan. He does not believe in jobs. That is job destroying. I am asked about job-destroying moves and, of course, there are so many more in this parliament—

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

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: the Prime Minister is making no attempt to be directly relevant to the question. It was about the tourism industry and jobs in North Queensland. It was not about any other industry.

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will be directly relevant. What she has said to date is relevant but she should be extremely careful to observe the terms of the question in giving her response. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. On the circumstances of the Queensland tourism industry, it would be job destroying for that industry to not invest in skills, which is why the opposition's planned cutbacks are so reckless. It would be job destroying for that industry to not roll out the NBN, because people find their holiday packages now online. The opposition's plans to destroy the NBN are job destroying for the tourism industry.

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume her seat. The honourable member for Paterson ought not to address the chair until he is given the call at the dispatch box.

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The shadow minister asked about the $250,000 impact because of the 6.2c a litre reduction in fuel. The Prime Minister does not even understand the impact of her own carbon tax.

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member has sought to take a second point of order in relation to relevance. I will not at this stage invite the member for Paterson to join his colleague, but I would counsel and encourage him against similar action in the future.

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

When it comes to factors about jobs in the tourism industry, of course there is the impact of climate change on iconic features like the Great Barrier Reef. Nothing is more important to the tourism industry in Queensland than the work that comes because of the Great Barrier Reef. That is why it is so important to take action on climate change and, when you take that action, to do it in the cheapest way possible, which is what the government is determined to do.

Some days the opposition walk into this parliament and say: 'Do nothing. Don't worry about climate change.' It appears from the questions we are getting today that this is a 'do nothing' day. They do not believe in doing anything on climate change today. All of that, apparently, is job destroying. Then on other days they come into this parliament and say they have a plan. Well, let us look at the cost of that plan: $1,300 ripped out of the pockets of working families, tax cuts taken away, family payment increases taken away—

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will ensure that her response is directly relevant.

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

When it comes to job destroying, what could be more job destroying for the tourism industry or other sections of the economy than taking that amount of money away from working families? We stand for getting ready for the future, which will be one in which we must create less carbon pollution. We stand for doing it in the most cost-effective way. We will be providing benefits and assistance to working families and pensioners as we do that and we will be working with industry around the country to support Australian jobs.

The job-destroying tactics in this parliament come from the opposition, pure and simple. They record it with their votes in this parliament, like when they voted against steelworker jobs. They record it in their public statements, like when they are looking forward to the end of the car industry. Every action they take is calculated at destroying jobs and 'feeding' the interests of working Australians. (Time expired)