Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Wong. I refer to the 900 job losses in Australia's second largest export sector announced by Australia's two largest coal producers yesterday. Can the minister confirm that, consistent with the government's assumptions in its 2012-13 budget, Australia's coal producers are required to pay carbon taxes in excess of $2.7 billion over the next three years even after taking into account the assistance provided under the coal sector jobs package? Can the minister nominate a single top-10 coal-producing country in the world that currently applies, or plans to introduce, a carbon tax on fugitive emissions generated by the mining of coal, as is imposed under the Labor-Greens carbon tax? If not, how can the government possibly think it is fair to make Australian exporters less competitive internationally and to put workers' jobs at risk as a direct result of its carbon tax?