Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

First, I take issue with the accusation that was in the question. I do not think anybody in this parliament means disrespect to the RSPCA—maybe some do, but I certainly meant none. My disrespect was for an opposition that is prepared to go down to an organisation and say, 'Cats and dogs and puppies and kittens are not safe from the carbon price!' Talk about an example of the ridiculous scare campaign this country has been subjected to! Senator Crossin had it right: what about guppies and snakes? Are they are at risk too? That is the disrespect, Senator. You are not interested in a serious public policy debate on this. You are not interested in a serious debate about how we deal with climate change. You are not interested in any economically responsible policies; you are just interested in a scare campaign for the TV. That is all this has come down to for you. That is all you are interested in. You are not interested in any proper debate; you are just interested in a scare campaign. (Time expired)