Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

IAM (—) (): That was highly unusual, I have to say—quite the ramble around the backyard there on those issues. There are a couple of things. One is that you can't improve the unimprovable, this bill, which is why we have arrived at the position we've arrived at. The alarming pattern that seems to be emerging here is that the Australian Labor Party go to their natural bedfellows, the Australian Greens, and do deals, as they do.

One thing I want to point out, colleagues, as I ask a question shortly about the prohibited investment list, was something that struck me as passing strange. Here we are on one day dealing with two bits of legislation. One is the one before us now, about revitalising the economy and creating manufacturing jobs—well-paid ones that are highly skilled et cetera, to refer to the minister's comments. Then, on the other hand, we have a bill coming up which is going to tax the life out of manufacturing in this country. So the government says: 'Oh, we're going to help you get jobs. We're going to bring industry here. We're going to restart manufacturing, but we're going to tax the life out of it.' How does it work? What's going on with this inconsistent, incoherent government policy?