Senate debates
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Bills
Clean Energy Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Charges — Customs) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Charges — Excise) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Customs Tariff Amendment) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Excise Tariff Legislation Amendment) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Fuel Tax Legislation Amendment) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Household Assistance Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Income Tax Rates Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (International Unit Surrender Charge) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Tax Laws Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Unit Issue Charge — Auctions) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Unit Issue Charge — Fixed Charge) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Unit Shortfall Charge — General) Bill 2011, Clean Energy Regulator Bill 2011, Climate Change Authority Bill 2011, Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment Bill 2011, Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment Bill 2011; In Committee
5:46 pm
Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source
We have had two questions and two absolute fiascos. Minister, you have said that it is in line with our policy. Our policy does not say that you can just keep on taking 12 million units out year after year, year after year without completely shutting down the show. You have failed to put in a safety clause mechanism in this legislation; you have left it out. As it reads, if it goes to default, which is quite probable if there is a change in the mechanism of the Senate, and if it goes on and on and on, we shut down the show by your own legislation. You might say that is unlikely. But the point is that, right at the start of this, we were looking at the competency of your drafting, the competency of your government. There is a bit of a concern when the answer to the first question involved a non-explanation because you did not have a clue and the answer to the second question was 'It's been left out,' because you made a mistake.
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