Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much. And within the first 20 seconds I shall address the sacrosanct nature of weekends to rural and regional Australians, and the fact that we like to—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Honestly!

Opposition senators interjecting—

Rural and regional Australia, and, indeed, the broader Australian public are very thankful for the National Party. There are no friends for the National Party at the moment—not a friend in the country. The peak bodies have deserted us; there's not a friend internationally. But do you know what? If it wasn't for the National Party, our country would have a carbon tax right now. It had the Labor Party's carbon tax. And do you know what our country, under a Liberal-National government, has been able to achieve without a carbon tax since it came to government? A 20 per cent decrease in emissions—

Opposition senators interjecting—

you don't want to hear that, do you?—while increasing our mineral exports, while increasing jobs in agriculture. So for you to argue that the only way, back then, to actually lower emissions in this country was to tax us was wrong. And you admit it now because it's your own policy! It is the Labor Party's policy not to instigate a carbon tax. So you need to be saying thank you—