Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Through you, Mr Deputy President, Senator Humphries ought to go around and have a look at the price increases that are going on without the ETS, and he would understand that prices are going up in a lot of those areas. Maybe some of those people have an ulterior motive, but this government is actually going to provide significant support to low-income families. The government will provide upfront support to low- and middle-income households from 2011-12 through a package of direct cash assistance and tax offsets to help them to adjust to a low-pollution future. Again, Senator Humphries wanted to make the comparison with the GST; they did nothing like that when they were in government.

Pensioners, seniors, carers and people with a disability will receive additional support above indexation to fully meet the expected overall increase in the cost of living flowing from the scheme. We are doing everything we can as a government to ensure that those who cannot afford any sort of increase are actually protected, insulated or isolated from the impacts of the introduction of our ETS. But what do we see from the opposition? Any acknowledgement about those issues? Any serious policy contribution to solving the environmental effects that we are facing into the future? No, we see a rabble on that side of the Senate. We see a divided opposition that cannot get their policy together. They finally get around to commissioning a report and then they have the gall to wheel that out and say, ‘This is the way the government should go. But, by the way, we don’t think it’s good enough to actually adopt as our policy.’ They have no policy; they have no position—they are an absolute rabble. They are an opposition divided and they ought to get on board and do what is right for this economy and what is right for the people of this country.