Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education) Share this | Hansard source

That is a novel idea; thank you, Senator Cash! That is a very novel idea! Ask the Australian people—there's an idea. That is exactly what we are putting forward today. We are putting forward the opportunity for them to have a say. We are putting forward the opportunity for them to be able to say to the Prime Minister and this Labor government whether or not they want a carbon tax. How dare the Prime Minister say: 'I know what's best for you; you can have a carbon tax, and I'm not going to listen to you. Not only am I not going to listen to you, but I'm not even going to give you an opportunity to tell me what you think. Somewhere in between these elections, I will actually bring in this carbon tax and I will not give you a say on whether or not you want it.' That is about the lowest point this country has got to for a long, long period of time. Mr Acting Deputy President, I draw your attention to—and I am sure my good colleague Senator Scullion remembers this from the campaign—the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, on 15 August 2010, saying when discussing the issue of whether or not there would be a carbon tax, 'Certainly, what we rejected was this hysterical allegation that somehow we are moving towards a carbon tax.' That is very interesting. Apparently my coalition colleagues and I, having said during the last election campaign that this govern­ment would be bringing in a carbon tax, were making a hysterical allegation.