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

As one who, at the very beginning of this debate, crossed the floor against my own party, I would like to say a couple of words in the final debate on this long-running issue.

First of all, we have heard from the Greens political party the ultimate in hypocrisy. The Australian people, clearly, voted at the last election on what everyone knew was a referendum on the carbon tax, to get rid of the carbon tax. I want to congratulate those political parties who went to the election promising the repeal of the carbon tax and who have actually voted on the basis upon which they were elected. I mention the Democratic Labour Party, Senator Xenophon, the Palmer United Party, the Liberal Democrat Party and the Family First Party, all of whom made it quite clear when they went to election, like the coalition, that if Australians voted for us we would get rid the carbon tax. It is the ultimate in hypocrisy for the Greens political party then to say that they know better than the Australian public, that they know better than our fellow Australians voting at an election. It is typical that the Greens think that they know better than everyone.

Opposition senators interjecting—