Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to opposition questions without notice asked today.

Today there were a lot of important questions asked of the government. It's a day where they've announced a huge deal with the Greens party to establish a massive new carbon tax on job-creating projects in this country, but unfortunately there were no answers given to these very important questions.

This dodgy deal that has been done between Labor and the Greens potentially means that all new coal, gas and other mining projects will be required to have all of their emissions offset. That means they'll have to buy carbon credits for all of their emissions. Previously, the government announced they'd only have to buy offsets for the amount of emissions they're reducing—five per cent a year. Now it won't be five per cent next year; it'll be 100 per cent for these projects next year.

There is a new mine being built in my area, in Central Queensland, near Moranbah, the Olive Downs mine, and I asked about that particular mine. The acting leader of the Labor Party in the Senate couldn't even tell the 500 people who are working there tonight, who will be going to sleep in a camp away from their families tonight, whether they have a job tonight.

Those opposite claim they're the party representing workers, they claim they represent the people who go to work to help this country be strong, and they can't even give them basic answers. They haven't done basic analysis. Maybe the people responding to this motion could provide these answers to workers in this country? Can they provide them answers? Will this Olive Downs mine have to offset 100 per cent of its emissions? And if it has, what analysis, what consultation have they done with the mine to know whether those people will have their jobs or lose their jobs overnight? What have they done?

According to Mr Bandt, the Leader of the Australian Greens, who seems to be in charge in this place right now—