Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I listened very intently to Senator Cameron's contribution. It followed the lines of Senator Wong today in question time, applauding and lauding the carbon tax that is going to be imposed upon all Australians and send every Australian's cost of living up. Senator Cameron, if it is so good, why is it that your leader, the leader of the Labor Party, the current Prime Minister—this week, anyhow—promised before the last election that there would be no carbon tax under a government she leads? If it is so good, Senator Cameron, please explain to me why your Prime Minister, your Labor leader, promised to the Australian public, hand on heart, that there would be no carbon tax under a government she leads?

I want to return to the carbon tax shortly. But this debate started with reference to Senator Arbib's imminent departure. I wish Senator Arbib well. I did not have a lot to do with him, but I thought he was one of the more competent Labor ministers—not that that is great praise for him. I wish him well in the future. I do not know what Senator Arbib is going to do. Some suggest he might be joining up with his old mates Mr Eddie Obeid and Mr Eric Roozendaal from the New South Wales Right of the Labor Party. I understand they have had business dealings before. Perhaps they are going back into those business dealings. In fact, I just googled on my iPad a rather interesting article by Kate McClymont in the Sydney Morning Heraldnot a paper I usually read in Queensland—that made a very interesting connection between Senator Arbib, Mr Obeid, Mr Roozendaal and Mr Williamson, from the Health Services Union, who is very prominent at the moment. There is a sort of winding up of what seem to be business interests there. So I wish Senator Arbib well, and I hope that he enjoys life outside of parliament.

I want to return to the carbon tax debate that was mentioned in question time today. Let me read you a passage from Hansard:

Let us deal with a few facts. Let us have a scientific debate about climate change and its potential impact on the tourism industry. Globally, aviation contributes just two per cent of greenhouse gas emissions but eight per cent of world GDP—that is, 28 million jobs and $US3 trillion. Recently, the less than august Australia Institute—an organisation for which I have no respect because it seems to pride itself on belting low-income people in Australia—proposed a carbon tax, an elitist tax, on domestic flights and called for an end to the promotion of the aviation industry. Never mind that, according to the Australian Greenhouse Office’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, civil aviation contributes just 0.9 per cent of Australia’s emissions. If we got rid of the entire aviation industry, as the Australia Institute would have it, we would still be left with 99 per cent of Australia’s emissions.

Who said that? It was Mr Martin Ferguson, the current Minister for Resources and Energy. When he said that, back in 2007, he was the shadow spokesman on transport. Martin Ferguson is a minister who I think is reasonably competent—again, that is not a great recommendation when you consider the ministers that we have. Martin Ferguson is sensible. There was Martin Ferguson saying what a ridiculous idea a carbon tax was. And yet, to Mr Ferguson's undying shame, he was one who breached the promise that the Labor Party would never introduce a carbon tax.

In the north of Australia, which I represent, Airnorth has just started a new direct service between Townsville and Darwin. It is a great service, but the cost is going to increase by $7 each way because of the carbon tax. Come 1 July, prices for airline travel all across Northern Australia will have to go up because of this ridiculous carbon tax, which will just add to the cost of living of all Australians.

Question agreed to.