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

Thank you for your protection, President; I appreciate it very much. As I continue to make my fact based, science based points, I want to demonstrate the lack of logic in the government's thinking. When you have groups like the Labor Environment Action Network, which is probably going to take over the Australian Labor Party at the next federal convention—I'm reading a few things that are sending out concerning messages about the direction of this government and their policies and there is real concern—you see policies like this, with the shutting down of the native forest industry. It's not based on science. That is not factored in anywhere in any of these policy decisions by the two state Labor governments that have pursued this. Goodness knows what this government will do when it comes to its turn to make a decision about the future of that industry.

We are supposed to be problem solvers and we are supposed to be dealing with the issues that affect Australians most. The contribution that was made earlier about what crisis people are facing when they can't pay their power bills, can't keep the lights on, can't heat their home in winter, can't put fuel in the car and can't put food on the table was ridiculous. The government have climate policies like the safeguard mechanism, which we proudly opposed because all that will do is send jobs offshore along with the emissions that will inevitably be increased when those businesses, those heavy emitters, go to jurisdictions where they don't give a damn about the environment and they don't care about emissions. It will be a net negative for our environment and it will certainly be a net negative for our economy and for households that are struggling already.

So I have to say that I am concerned about where they are headed. But, unfortunately, Senator Roberts, no number of motions in this place will ever get them to see sense. Only at the ballot box will they be proven wrong about their ridiculous policies— (Time expired)