Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to spend a few moments talking about what is happening out there in voter land. It is important to understand what people are saying out in the electorates. On Friday I was in Longman, talking to the parents of schoolchildren who are about to receive about $410 each under the schoolkids bonus, and out in Forde in the afternoon, talking to another lot of parents who were interested in what the government is doing with the carbon price household assistance. For example, out of the 54,000 taxpayers in Longman, 48,000 of them will receive assistance. At least 40,000 out of those 48,000 will receive a tax cut of at least $300. In the seat of Forde, out of 62,000 taxpayers, around 54,000 will receive a tax cut and, of those 54,000, 46,000 will receive a tax benefit of at least $300 as well. Let us cut to the chase; let us get to the hypocrisy surrounding this motion. We have just heard from Senator Fawcett. I am pleased that he raised the point of people baulking in investments. The hypocrisy of that statement is that there are people opposite and people in the other house who are investing in shares in the mining and resource industries. At least 30 per cent of those opposite are buying shares in those industries. Do not come into this chamber and cry, 'Doom and gloom! The earth is going to fall in! The ships are going to sail off the end of the world!' What a load of rot. What a disgrace you mob are.

Let us have a look at those opposite. Senator Gary Humphries, for a start, added a number of companies to his portfolio, including Matrix Composites and Engineering, which manufactures products for the offshore oil and gas and the iron ore industries. He also added Origin Energy. Let us look at Senator Sean Edwards, who in 2011 added Fortescue Metals Group to his interests and then, on 11 November 2011, added BHP Billiton and Newcrest Mining. However, in March this year he deleted Fortescue metals and BHP from his interests and in April deleted Newcrest Mining. There is the hypocrisy, Mr President. Those opposite come in here, saying, 'Doom and gloom: the earth is coming to end and jobs are going to be at risk,' yet they are investing so much in mining and resource sector shares. What a joke!

Let us have a look at what is happening in the House of Representatives. NineMSN reported that six coalition members of the House of Representatives purchased shares between 24 November 2011 and 21 March 2012. Out of that six, the member for Bennelong, John Alexander, bought shares in AGL; Paula Hunt, the wife of the member for Flinders, Greg Hunt, bought shares in Rio Tinto, Tiger Resources and Fortescue Metals Group; the member for Stirling, Michael Keenan, bought into Resource and Investment NL; the member for Flynn, Ken O'Dowd—a true blue Queenslander and National Party member—bought shares in Regis Resources and Hastings Fund Management Ltd; and the member for Fadden, Stuart Robert, invested in Evolution Mining and Oceanagold shares. Even Malcolm Turnbull—let us not forget the godfather of the opposition, who was so keen to introduce an ETS until he was stabbed in the back by Tony Abbott—has been making investments, in Veolia, Multiplex, Santos Finance and Renewable Energy Corporation.

As can be seen, it is clear; it is out there in the marketplace: people know what the legitimate circumstances are in this place. You lot over there are joke. You are hypocrites.