Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. Does the government believe that the hung parliament provides an excuse for the government to break its election promises?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This government has committed to providing stable and effective government and to look into implementing its election program and its legislative program. In the first few weeks in office we have undertaken to make sure that the structures are in place to allow us to do that. After the Governor-General allowed the Prime Minister to form a government, we formed a ministry and have sought to put in place arrangements which will allow us to govern effectively. As many know, minority governments have successfully governed in many other countries. We have had only one previous experience with this in Australia. But this government is committed to governing effectively and for all Australians, and we are looking to implement its legislative reform agenda through the life of this parliament. We are absolutely committed to that. We will look to work with all parties in this parliament, and all independents and minors, to try to implement the government’s reform and build consensus around some of the big challenges confronting this country. So we do seek to honour our commitments, and we do seek to work with the other members of parliament to achieve those reforms.

It will be interesting to watch how the House of Representatives learns to adapt to the new situation. I think all senators will probably in some small way enjoy the adjustment process that occurs in the House of Representatives as they come to learn how to operate in a way that the Senate is perhaps more familiar with and learn some of the skills that senators have developed over many years. But I digress. I can assure the senator that we will be pursuing our agenda. (Time expired)

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Is it true that a week out from the election day the Prime Minister declared that there would be ‘no carbon tax under the government I lead’? Is it also true that the very day before the election, when a hung parliament was touted as a possibility, the Prime Minister stated categorically: ‘I rule out a carbon tax?’ Why has the Prime Minister decided to junk these solemn promises to the Australian people?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It may not have been apparent to Senator Abetz and the opposition but the government has always said that a carbon price is the only mechanism which will ensure Australia can meet its bipartisan emissions reduction targets. That has not changed. We spent the whole of the last parliament trying to put in place a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme that allowed us to meet those targets by putting a price on carbon. The Australian people have voted for a new parliament, which will have to work in new ways, and in order to try to pursue—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Evans, resume your seat momentarily. I remind senators that shouting across the chamber when a minister is trying to answer a question or when someone is asking a question is completely disorderly. Both people are entitled to be heard in silence.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, in good faith the government has sought to form a committee of interested members of the parliament to explore a full range of options for injecting a carbon price into the Australian economy. Of course, the fundamental basis for that is that you have to believe that global warming is a problem. The opposition do not accept the science, and therefore they are irrelevant to the debate. (Time expired)

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. It does beg the question: if it is such a big problem why did the Prime Minister specifically rule out a carbon price before the last election? I refer to the Prime Minister’s recent warning in an interview with the Fairfax press that key promises she made during the federal election may be broken. Which promises does the government actually intend to keep?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government is committed to trying to achieve its election commitments and its legislative agenda. But as we learned in the last parliament there are a lot of spoilers and people who oppose for opposition’s sake. We would have implemented the CPRS in the last parliament until the Liberal Party decided that the sceptics had the numbers. Whatever the government seeks to achieve, we are obviously limited by what is possible in a parliament where we control neither house. But as I did today when I sought to reintroduce the student services and amenities fees legislation, we will again seek to have that legislation implemented. We again urge you to support it. These are the issues that will come before the parliament and you in the opposition will be judged on whether you allow the government to deliver on its commitments.