Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to respond to parts of the conversation that Senator Abetz and Senator Wong have just shared in the chamber. I think that when the Australian public see their power bills skyrocket in price they should send those bills to the Prime Minister’s Lodge and ask him to pay them. It is outrageous that the deal done today is not a commonsense decision at all. Have a look at the detail. The coalition are saying that they have 80 per cent of what they want, but there is still a definite link to the CPRS legislation. It is not unhooked at all. Look at what the minister was saying before. She said:

Accordingly, following the passage of the CPRS, the government’s intention is to provide additional assistance under the renewable energy target ...

Quite clearly, these bills are still linked. This is in the statement that was just read out. Quite clearly the bills are still linked and the coalition has been dudded. Senator Abetz has spoken many times about people rolling over but the coalition has rolled on this issue. When the Australian public see increases in their power bills—when they see them skyrocketing—they need to send them to the Prime Minister’s Lodge for the Prime Minister to pay.

The deal done on the renewable energy targets is yet another example of something done by a turncoat party running scared from an early election on a double dissolution. Quite clearly, they have rolled. Quite clearly, the renewable energy targets are still linked to CPRS. Senator Abetz can shake his head all he likes but it is quite clear that the coalition has rolled. The Australian public will pay dearly for what is happening here today.

Malcolm Turnbull says that the deal between the government and the coalition was a win for common sense. The only way Mr Turnbull could show common sense would be to use the words, ‘I quit.’