Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I certainly support the motion moved by Senator Fifield. Nothing could have been clearer at the last election than the coalition's policy in relation to this suite of legislation. We remember that, at the previous election, the Labor Party promised that it would never introduce a carbon tax and then broke its word within a couple of months of the election. We have made this commitment to the Australian people and we want to do everything possible to make sure we can honour that commitment.

The Australian public clearly demonstrated that they supported our approach. You may argue about other policy proposals that we took to the election. You may argue about whether people particularly gave us a mandate for this, that or the other. But, right from day one, Mr Abbott said that the next election, that being the election held in September 2013, would be a referendum on the carbon tax, and nobody—the Labor Party, the Greens and, most of all, the people of Australia—could have misunderstood that. The sooner we can bring this bill to fruition, to this chamber, the sooner the parliament can determine whether we should be able to discharge the commitment we made at the election.

I suspect the Greens are very clear in their attitude towards these abolition bills. We know they are going to oppose the abolition bills. At least with the Greens you know where they are. But with the Labor Party, of course, we are not quite sure. We have different members of the Labor Party saying different things. We know that, even in the days when the Labor Party were introducing the legislation, there was a considerable amount of division in the Labor Party ranks as to whether or not they should introduce the carbon tax. Unfortunately, the then Prime Minister overwhelmed the opposition. We used to read in the paper about what happened in the Labor Party caucus room, so we know that—I would suggest—a majority of Labor Party politicians understand that this was a stupid tax; it was a breach of promise; it has not done anything. Why should Australia be leading the world in a carbon tax, when all it does is destroy our economy and make us completely uncompetitive around the world? So I suspect that those in the Labor Party who opposed the introduction of the carbon tax but were not game to do it in this chamber will now be urging the Labor Party to simply roll over.

Clearly, the strategy of Senator Wong and the leadership group of the Labor Party is to delay this as long as possible and make it as difficult as possible to repeal the legislation, but I would venture a punt that, when the Labor Party are forced to vote on this series of bills, you might find that they will find some excuse for going along with us—and that will be good. I hope that happens. That is my estimate of what is going to happen, and I certainly hope and urge the Labor Party to adopt that course.

But why put off the evil day? Why not just get it over and done with? The Australian people have spoken. Why don't you let this go through the chamber? Support it. If you do not want to support it, don't vote. Don't come in on the bill. But at least let us get the decision of the Australian people confirmed in this parliament by having a vote as soon as possible. The proposal put by Senator Fifield is very reasonable. It provides for the scrutiny that is needed, and it will then bring this whole matter to a vote at the appropriate time.