Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Can the minister confirm that, even after the Prime Minister's personal intervention to fix the mess of Labor's new family car and ute tax, families buying one of Australia's most popular vehicles—the Toyota Land Cruiser—will still be facing a tax, making it more than $10,000 more expensive than it is today. Why are Australian farming families paying for the price of Labor's naive, ideologically driven energy policies?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Members on my right will cease interjecting.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member very much for his question. I'm not sure who he thinks makes the HiLux—Lamborghini, maybe—because the chief executive of Toyota was just at a press conference with me and the minister for transport, explicitly disagreeing with the premise just put by the honourable member for New England. Who should we believe about Toyota? The member for New England or the chief executive of Toyota? Maybe the member for New England knows more about the impact on Toyota than the chief executive of Toyota. The Chief Executive of Toyota said, ' It has really been Toyota's position for some time that we wanted an emissions standard to basically help us with long-term product planning and where we're going. We wanted an emission standard that's basically ambitious but also brings people on a journey and doesn't leave people behind, and that is where we are. We appreciate the fact the government has given us an opportunity and a voice to all parties and have been able to be consulted. We think the amendments that have been made, we support the government in the amendments that have been made and I think they're a positive step forward.' He was asked explicitly whether he agreed with the coalition's description of our policy that the honourable member just put, and he said, 'No.' Why don't you ask us more about the position of Toyota?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The members on my right will cease interjecting. I want to hear from the member for McEwen.