Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

The carbon tax, which is so bad that Labor promised we would not have one in 2010 and so bad that they said they would abolish it in 2013, is being kept alive by that very same Labor Party's tactics in this chamber. Those opposite know that Mr Rudd and Mr Marles were right—that the right thing to do is to repeal the carbon tax. But they cannot acknowledge the will of the Australian people. For this chamber to break for Christmas without resolving vital legislation, which includes budget savings to staunch the haemorrhaging budget we inherited from Labor—savings that we bravely and honestly put to the Australian people before the election and which the people of Australia voted for. And do you know why they voted for it? Because they knew $732 million would need to be borrowed from overseas which the next generation would need to pay back, with interest. That is why they voted for us. Here we have Labor stifling, stalling and sabotaging our savings measures, some of which they themselves put forward during the last election. The savings measures are vital. The Labor-Greens games in this place are the metaphorical middle-finger salute to the Australian people and to Australian democracy. Let us be perfectly clear—