Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education) Share this | Hansard source

It is not going to change the climate one little bit. I will take that excellent interjection from my excellent coalition colleague over here, Senator Cash. It is for nothing. It is not going to do a thing. How stupid is it that the government has a policy to do something that will have no effect? Not only can the government not do what it is trying to do; it is actually going to make things worse. Emissions will go from 578 million tonnes to 621 million tonnes and the Labor government under Ms Gillard says this is a good thing. How incredibly stupid.

Electricity prices are set to rise 18 per cent in New South Wales under the IPART determination and nine per cent of that is the carbon tax. That is a fact. It is going to hit people right across the state, and figures like that are going to be reflected right across the country. And what for? The impacts on regional communities are going to be severe. Our dairy industry is going to be hit, and so will rice farmers and irrigators. Irrigators' electricity bills are going to go through the roof. This government just do not care about rural Australia. They do not have a clue. They are so disconnected from people outside the cities that they simply cannot understand what is needed out there. I can tell you, Mr Deputy President, that what is not needed is a carbon tax. We on this side of the chamber will not stand by. We will get rid of it in government for all Australians. (Time expired)