Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support this suspension of standing orders motion by Senator Abetz and, in particular, the intent of this suspension of standing orders to facilitate this chamber deferring debate on the clean energy bills until after an election is conducted. This is a pretty simple proposition: that fundamental change of this nature to the way the Australian economy works should actually be put to the people and that the Australian people should have a say on a matter this significant that will see such sweeping changes to every aspect of the Australian economy. Yet we see those opposite seeking to deny the Australian people that choice. You must ask the question: what is it that they are afraid of? What is it that this government are afraid of when it comes to actually giving the Australian people a choice on the clean energy bills, on Labor's carbon tax, which they promised not to introduce? It would seem they are afraid that the Australian people will disagree with them. They are afraid that they will lose power. They are afraid that the Australian people will say this carbon tax is a dog of a package, that it does not achieve emissions reductions, that it does not achieve what the government claim it does and that all it does is impose dramatically higher costs across the Australian economy and in doing so weakens our economic standing into the future.

What a sad and sorry state of affairs it is when a democratically elected government in a country with such a proud democratic history as Australia's is afraid of the will of the people, when the government of the day is afraid of hearing what the Australian people think and of testing the judgment of the Australian people. Labor minister after Labor minister, Labor member after Labor member, Labor senator after Labor senator stand and proclaim that this is a transformational plan and that it is sweeping in its impact. If it is so transforming, if it is so sweeping, if it will have such enormous impact, why not put it to the people? Why not convince them of the merits of it? Of course they choose not to do so—and they choose not to do so purely out of fear. Why would the Australian people reject it? They would reject it because of concerns about the impact it will have on the Australian economy—not just those direct hip pocket concerns around cost of living, true and reasonable though those concerns may be, but also broader concerns about the impact on Australia's competitiveness and the fact that this will put Australian industry at a disadvantage and potentially, of course, ultimately threaten Australian jobs.

We need only look at what is a very topical matter at present to see why Australians would hold those concerns: the state of the aviation and tourism industries in this country. This legislation is quite discriminatory in its application; it discriminates against Australian industry. Nowhere is that more evident than when we look at the aviation sector. The legislative package proposed by the government will apply a tax and a cost to domestic aviation in Australia but it will not apply a tax or a cost to aviation outside Australia. Qantas, who of course have been somewhat in the headlines over the weekend, estimate that the carbon pricing scheme, the carbon tax, will cost about $110 million or $115 million to their bottom line in 2012-13. That one company, which is obviously under particular financial duress, faces a price impact of $115 million. They have said they will have to pass that cost through to consumers. But of course the aviation sector, the tourism transport sector, is an incredibly competitive sector and when they pass it through to consumers we know that business will shift. In this case where will it shift? Business will shift from travel within Australia to travel outside Australia because it will become even cheaper comparatively for people to choose to holiday in places like Bali and Vanuatu than to holiday in North Queensland or in my own state of South Australia.

This is a discriminatory tax. The government know that if they took it to the people it would fail. That is why they are running scared. They are running scared of full and thorough debate in this place and they are running scared of full and thorough debate in the Australian community. For those reasons they should stand condemned.