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

Taking a lecture on being upfront about their policy from those opposite, who will not even let me deal with their policy at all in question time, is really a little rich. The question is in fact a hypothetical. The government has laid out its policy, we have provided the Treasury modelling and we have been clear and upfront about the international linking that we are assuming in the budget and in the policy. We were upfront about that. Of course, the senator may not know that the party that opposes linking, thereby driving up the carbon price, is his party.

It is the sort of Barnaby Joyce approach—

Senator Abetz interjecting—

The Senator Joyce approach. 'Senator Joyce to me'—that's right! I will be very respectful, thank you, Senator Abetz! It is Senator Joyce's approach that the Liberal Party are adopting, which is that they so do not want to acknowledge there is a global economy that they do not even want to link when it comes to carbon, which will impose a great cost on Australians.