John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is with pleasure that I rise to speak on this motion about the carbon tax, a very good motion put forward by my colleague Senator Cormann. Senator Singh talked about scaremongering and fearmongering. Let us look at some of the scaremongers. Tim Flannery said that Brisbane would run out of water and so would Melbourne. 'You will never see the dams full again,' he said. Adelaide, he said, would be as dry as a bone. What is the situation now? Who was doing the scaremongering? Who was spreading the fear that, if this tax did not come in, it was never going to rain again—we would never again have the big floods. Well, we had a drought in Australia from 1895 to 1907—12 years. That was followed by floods. This time we had a drought from 2002 to 2010—and what was it followed by? Floods. Every drought is broken by a flood.

Let us get back to the point of this great motion put forward by Senator Cormann and to that promise made by Prime Minister Gillard before the last election. That promise will haunt her to her political death, which will probably come in about—I give it until October. I know, Mr Acting Deputy President Cameron, that you are not a gambling man; you would never behave that way. But I will be looking for someone to have a $10 lottery ticket with me that Ms Gillard is not Prime Minister by the end of October this year. The numbers are being counted. Mr Rudd will not give up. Perhaps, Senator Stephens, you would like to join in that lottery ticket wager?