Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Temporary Chairman, your protection against these outrageous interjections, these attacks on me, these unparliamentary interjections would be appreciated. In that way I will not be distracted in responding to those unparliamentary interjections by the Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens. Suffice it to say, I am well aware that the Greens would like to stop all red meat eating in Australia and shut down the beef cattle industry in its entirety.

Minister, back to the question I was asking you. Senator Milne rightly points out that we are supporting the amendment in principle but, Minister, could you explain to me how northern beef producers might be able to take advantage of this amendment and, indeed, this whole bill? The northern beef producers are absolutely decimated by your government's decision. The minister will be aware of course that many of the beef cattle producers in Northern Australia are indeed Indigenous cattle producers. They, like every other cattle producer, will be struggling to make ends meet. I am just hoping that the minister can assure me that there is something in this bill and in this amendment which will allow some small relief to the northern beef cattle industry that the minister almost single-handedly destroyed. Minister, I give you the opportunity, of course, to redeem your decision that has just about, as I say, destroyed the northern beef cattle industry. Perhaps your response could give some hope to the northern beef cattle industry that there is something in this bill and its amendments that will enable industry players in the north to get some assistance. The best assistance the minister could give would be to say that the whole carbon tax policy was off the table. You recall, Mr Chairman, that just a year ago the leader of the Labor Party—the current Prime Minister—promised hand on heart that there would be no carbon tax under a government she led and here we are one year later dealing with legislation surrounding the introduction of the tax she promised would never be introduced in a government she led. She was not on her own, of course. We all know that the Treasurer, Mr Swan, was equally vociferous in assuring Australians that if they voted for the Labor Party—