Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

First of all, I would like to place on the public record my condolences to those who lost family and to those who had family who were injured and express my sympathy for the enormous amount of property damage that was done. In so doing, I of course speak for those in my own home state of Victoria who are also still suffering from the impact of the devastating floods. I think many of us will remember well January this year and everything that flowed from it.

I take issue with my friend and colleague Senator Ludwig. He said that government assistance was required. Yes, I agree with that aspect of his contribution to the debate on the Tax Laws Amendment (Temporary Flood and Cyclone Reconstruction Levy) Bill 2011 and related bill. I vehemently disagree with him that it has to be done by way of a tax. In the last 48 hours we have seen a relationship between the Prime Minister and Senator Bob Brown, which is now to be known as the Gillard-Brown government. Indeed, it is a partnership which has been conceived on earth but which will be delivering from hell. I cannot imagine a more dangerous group to be running this country than Ms Gillard and, effectively, her de facto, fellow Prime Minister Bob Brown—a very dangerous outcome.

I want to talk about the ramifications of this levy and, indeed, the ramifications of the government’s carbon tax, which was announced a couple of days ago. But, firstly, I want to refer to those who have actually been concerned about the government’s levy. I note with some interest that on 29 January, under the headline ‘ALP’s flood tax revolt’, the Daily Telegraph said, ‘Furious, unnamed Labor MPs could not wait to tell the national correspondent Steve Lewis that they were opposed to this.’ One of them even said it was one of the ‘dumbest decisions’ made by the Prime Minister—