Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (Senator Carr) to questions without notice asked today relating to unemployment and to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.

Today Senator Carr cut a very sad and lonely figure in this chamber. During his desperate attempt to try to answer questions you could see and read from the body language of those sitting behind him and beside him that they were cringing with embarrassment at his performances. Indeed, we had one of the most bumbling performances yet witnessed by this Senate at question time. Senator Carr did not even accidentally stray onto any answer in relation to any of the questions that were put to him. Indeed, he had to be continually reminded of what the question was in response to points of order and the President quite rightly reminded him of the question.

Let us go through these questions, Mr Deputy President, in detail. The first one was about job losses in the automotive component sector. He just simply refused to engage in relation to the issues at stake. He somehow thinks that if he turns up the volume he will not have to provide the substance that is expected of ministers during question time. Decibels will not overcome the need for facts. Shouting is no substitute for substance.

Then when shouting fails he moves on to the blame game. It is a fact that the trade union movement and the manufacturing sector have called for a crisis meeting in relation to job losses in the automotive component sector. But, instead of recognising that, he simply blames the opposition as somehow being responsible for what he is responsible for. That is why he is given a white car to drive around in with a chauffeur. That is why he draws the ministerial stipend. He has to take responsibility and, of course, as we saw today he cannot. He callously disregarded the job losses in the automotive component sector simply as ‘ABS figures moving around’. This really is the language of the Brisbane bureaucrat come to Canberra. Job losses are now described as ABS figures moving around. I remind those opposite that each one of those figures represents an Australian breadwinner. Each one of those figures represents potentially a family unit or a young person embarking upon life seeking a secure future. What is Senator Carr’s response? It is just a case of ABS figures moving around—nothing to worry about.

We then moved on as an opposition to textile, clothing and footwear, and we got exactly the same rant and rave from this minister. There was no answer to the issue of job losses. I simply say this: it is appropriate for the opposition to ask about the number of jobs lost in a particular sector and it is wholly inappropriate for Labor to show an arrogant disregard for those who are losing their jobs.

Thirdly, we moved on to the services sector and we placed the same tale of woe of job losses under Labor. But, when asked, Senator Carr again, either deliberately, or because he cannot, does not deal with the issues, and he then resorts to the blame game. Then we moved to the carbon tax. He had no idea; then he tried to squib the final question, saying that it was Senator Wong’s responsibility. His own administrative orders, when you look at them, start off by saying what his responsibilities are: manufacturing and commerce, including industry. What could be clearer? But the poor hapless minister does not understand.

This minister and this government are presiding over job losses in every sector for which the minister is responsible—automotive, TCF and services. His response is to blame others, to deny that there is a problem, to shout and to resort to every other antic in the textbook of obfuscation. On each occasion his attention had to be drawn back to relevance. The people of Australia deserve better from this minister. The people of Australia deserve better from this government. (Time expired)