Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today.

The non-answers given by those on the other side today to what were very, very basic questions from this side in relation to the impact of the carbon tax on the Australian people shows just how scared those on the other side are of the impact of the carbon tax. In fact Minister Wong, when asked directly by Senator Fierravanti-Wells exactly what the impact would be on self-funded retirees and whether or not any self-funded retiree would be worse off, was unable to confirm the comment from her own colleague, Senator Feeney, who said, 'None.'

It was put directly to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation whether or not the comment made by Senator Feeney was actually true and the Minister for Finance and Deregulation would not confirm that no self-funded retiree would be worse off under the Labor Party's carbon tax. So every self-funded retiree out there needs to ask themselves: 'Is it me? Am I the self-funded retiree that is going to be left worse off under the Labor Party's carbon tax?' I think Minister Wong was actually very brave to disagree with Senator Feeney, because we all know what happens to those senior members of the Labor Party who disagree with Senator Feeney: they soon find themselves on the political execution hit list. So let us just watch this space very carefully.

I see Senator Farrell sitting there with a wide grin on his face. Senator Farrell, I think your little paws are just as dirty as Senator Feeney's when it comes to the political execution hit list. Remember, the political execution hit list was in relation to Mr Rudd. Mr Rudd was taken out—why? Because the Labor Party's ETS was going to have a devastating impact on the Australian people. It was the wrong policy at the wrong time. Mr Rudd was politically executed by the Labor Party because his policy was the wrong policy at the wrong time.

It is one thing for the coalition senators to stand here and to properly criticise and scrutinise the government's carbon tax policy but, with headlines like 'Gillard Govern­ment's carbon tax to cost 23,000 jobs in Victoria' in the Herald Sun, no wonder the Prime Minister will not take this policy to an election. She knows that if she did those opposite would be on their side and we would be in government. Then, of course, you have New South Wales modelling that shows in New South Wales electricity prices will rise overnight by 15 per cent. Why? Because of the Gillard Labor government's carbon tax policy.

Paul Howes should be very pleased with this statement by BlueScope Steel. They, one of the fiercest critics of the carbon tax, have formally announced a $900 million write-down of their asset values and signalled a review of their domestic steelmaking cap­acity. This is the Paul Howes who publicly said if one job was lost because of the Gillard government's carbon tax policy he would withdraw all support for the carbon tax. Well, Mr Howes, where are you now?

Again, it is not just the coalition who are actively criticising the impact of this tax on the Australian people. Let us have a look at what New South Wales leader John Robinson told his party and the shadow cabinet. He said that he would never, ever publicly support a carbon tax. Then what happened? He crumbled under the pressure. There was also state Labor MP Bob Harrison. Mr Harrison is someone who would know the impact that this tax would have on jobs, because he was a former steelworker. He has publicly stated:

How can we believe our prime minister, unfortunately, who promised us there would be no carbon tax before the election and who just managed to scrape in?

But it does not end there. What about Mr John Della Bosca? He said:

... I think the carbon tax is a mistake. It's the craziest thing she [Gillard] could have done ...

Tony Sheldon from the Transport Workers Union describes the carbon tax as 'a death tax'. In the seat of Brand, I think that is exactly what Mr Gary Gray thinks of the tax, because the people in the electorate of Brand do not want the carbon tax. I see Senator Bishop smiling, because, Senator Bishop, you know that that is true. The current Prime Minister has failed in the task of national leadership. This week is a shameful week in this place, because it is the one-year anniversary of the greatest lie ever perpetrated on the Australian people. (Time expired)