Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am well aware of the issue before the chair—it is the Steel Transformation Plan Bill. The reason we are going to need this $300 million package to support the steel industry is that the carbon tax is going to put huge costs on the steel industry. Mr Howes, one of your union partners, Mr Acting Deputy President, could see this coming. He could see what was going to happen to the steel industry. He made the statement that we are all aware of: 'If one job is lost, the unions will pull out.' This flowed through and we now have this $300 million steel industry package, because a lot of Mr Howes's members work in the steel industry. So, today, we have this package to assist the steel industry. Without the carbon tax, this steel package may not have been necessary—although I will acknowledge that with the high cost of the dollar and a number of other issues this support may have been needed.

I listened to Senator Milne and it really was like listening to something like Alice in Wonderland. Senator Milne wants to—