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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind the Prime Minister of her statement: 'The Labor Party is the party of truth telling.' I also remind her of the government's own modelling showing that Australian aluminium output will decrease by 61.7 per cent under her carbon tax. When will she finally be truthful with aluminium workers and admit that her policy will cost their jobs?

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

About a week ago the Leader of the Opposition was channelling Dirty Harry, saying 'make my day' regarding a debate about the economy. Since then we have seen a lot of 'dirty', and I am sure we will see more of that today from the henchmen sent in by the Leader of the Opposition. What we will not see is a responsible debate about the economy. The only thing the Leader of the Opposition has to say about Australia's economy and the global economy are the misrepresentations he peddles about carbon pricing. It truly is a disgrace that the Leader of the Opposition would come into this place and try to pretend to Australian workers that the only thing—

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

Mr Speaker, a point of order on direct relevance: why is the Prime Minister in denial over her own modelling?

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition did not word that point of order particularly well. However, the Prime Minister will become directly relevant.

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

The Leader of the Opposition, in asking this question, is continuing to peddle his mistruths to the Australian people: that the only thing that explains change in the Australian economy is carbon pricing. Anyone who has done high school economics would be able to tell you that long-term changes are underway in the Australian economy, and they are being accelerated by the structural transition in our economy now. Anybody who has done high school economics would be able to tell you that the percentage of the Australian economy deployed in manufacturing has been in a long-term decline, but it continues to be a very important industry segment to Australia, employing, as it does, one million Australians. The Leader of the Opposition seeks to deny that economic truth and pretend that all structural change in our economy is about carbon pricing. That is a falsehood. It is peddled to the Australian people for political advantage, in a manner calculated to raise concern amongst the Australian community.

I say to the Leader of the Opposition that he should do the right thing and listen to the workers at Alcoa, who have a very sophisticated understanding of what is driving change in their business, a very sophisticated understanding of the global market they relate to and a very sophisticated understanding of the business structures in their own business and in the global business they relate to. It insults their intelligence and demeans their capacity when the Leader of the Opposition comes in to this place and peddles this nonsense that would get a fail in high school economics. It certainly demeans anyone who is putting themself forward for consideration as Prime Minister. You cannot do the job by making up facts.