Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

First, in relation to consultation, if I may say this: does anybody in this chamber believe that the opposition's views on this matter would change one iota if there were more consultation? They have been consistently and persistently opposed to this reform since the day Mr Abbott became the opposition leader. No amount of evidence, no amount of argument, no amount of consultation and no amount of discussion is going to alter their blind opposition to this reform. Mr Abbott has made that clear. Mr Abbott has made very clear that the task of his political life is to stop this carbon tax. That is what he says. That is his political task. It is quite extraordinary, isn't it? He does not want to build anything, he does not want to do anything; he just wants to destroy. He is a wrecking ball, nothing more. He is all opposition and no leader.

This is a reform worth doing. This is a reform that will transform our— (Time expired)