Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister, and I refer to his previous answers on net zero in this House. Given the Deputy Prime Minister has described climate change as 'just the biggest scam that this nation has ever seen concocted', what can we expect the Deputy Prime Minister to say about Glasgow and net zero when he becomes Acting Prime Minister tomorrow night?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. I must admit I'd have to go a long way back to find that quote, but I'm happy for you to provide it to me. What is really important is that when the Prime Minister goes to Glasgow he'll be able to point out clearly that we will not be legislating any of the people in the member's electorate of Eden Monaro out of a job. We won't be doing that. We'll be making sure that the dairy farmers in Eden-Monaro are not legislated out by a form of legislation that your side of the House won't even tell us about. You won't tell us about your legislation, so I presume that the people in Eden-Monaro, the dairy farmers, will be concerned that the Labor Party legislation may go towards such things as methane emissions from the dairy herd. It would be a big concern to the people of Bega to know of the prospect of legislation that goes into the heart of every coffee shop up and down Bega. They could have the expectation of a reduction in farming income for the people of Bega. That has been proposed by the party that you are a member of. We'll be saying quite clearly that we'll make sure that there is no legislation that imposes on the freedoms and that takes the place of the ingenuity that always resides in people who have taken us to a point where we have met and beaten every target that we have had before us.

When the Prime Minister goes to Glasgow, he will also know that the coalition is 100 per cent behind the plan that he has brought forward. We will also say, because I was looking through it, in appendix 6 it was talking about the expansion of uranium mining and how important that industry is. We will be standing behind that. I know—actually, I don't know whether the Labor Party support, actually, you don't really support the coal mining industry and you don't really support the mining industry. I would say that other people who will be watching in Glasgow will be very concerned about the legislation that brings in the laws that outlaw the prospect of regional Australia. They will be very concerned if that was ever to be brought about by the legislation that your side of the House proposes.