Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I look forward to contributing to this debate because I think there are some shocking mistruths. I note that Senator Scullion, who is no doubt a fantastic fisherman and Northern Territorian—and I am envious of you, Senator Scullion, because I am not a good fisherman—talks about ordinary people who are concerned. Ordinary people should be concerned by the great mistruths that have been put out over the last nine months by Mr Abbott and those opposite. There have been some shocking accusations in this mother of all scare campaigns, and that is why ordinary people need to hear that they will be winners out of this carbon tax. Contrary to great popular belief, the scrutiny all these months has been on what the government may do but, sadly for all Australians out there, what they are confronted with is what the alternative government will do if the Liberals are successful at the next election. They have had a wonderful opportunity to slide under the radar and they have not had the blowtorch put to them when they have talked about their grand plan.

Let us go through Mr Abbott's grand plan of direct action. Mr Abbott's direct action plan has been assessed by Treasury officials. I know that some on that side might want to have a crack and say the assessment is not true, but if the Liberals are successful at the next election it will be these same people in Treasury who advise them. The Liberals and Nationals were squeezed after the election last year to put costings on the table for the policies which Mr Robb, Mr Hockey and Mr Abbott took to that election. They were dragged kicking and screaming but had to relent to the request of the Independents to see their costings, and these same Treasury officials came out and found a black hole of $11 billion, I think it was. So what have the Treasury officials actually told us about Mr Abbott's direct action plan? They identified that this will cost an average of $1,300 per household in tax. What Mr Abbott is going to do is tax taxpayers, tax Senator Scullion's 'ordinary Australians', and give the money to the heavy polluters, whereas we will be compensating nine in 10 Australian families.

It is also very important to note that last week the same people in Treasury who will be advising the next government, whether it be us or the other side, also identified that under Mr Abbott's direct action plan the price of carbon is estimated to go from $23 a tonne—the Gillard Labor government's cost—to $69 per tonne by 2020. It may be argued by those opposite that we are just making up figures. Well, we are not. Treasury came up with that.

But the biggest criticism of the opposition's plan came last week from none other than the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network. Who makes up the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network? Let me throw a few names to you, Mr Deputy President. I think these people could be considered to be relevant companies and relevant industry associations in Australia. We have none other than the Minerals Council of Australia as a member of the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network condemning the opposition's direct action plan. The Australian Industry Group is also a member of the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network. We also have none other than the Australian Coal Association, the Australian Food and Grocery Council and the Australian Institute of Petroleum. Then we have some individual business members which I would like to share with the Senate: Rio Tinto, Woodside, Alcoa, BlueScope Steel, Caltex, Chevron, CSR Ltd, ExxonMobil and Wesfarmers—reputable Australian companies. I honestly believe that Senator Scullion's ordinary people do need to be told. The more opportunity we have to expose the opposition for the fraud and the mistruths that they have been spreading throughout the community, the sooner I know Australians will embrace a carbon tax. (Time expired)