Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. With Australian families already struggling with the rising cost of living as a result of three years of reckless spending by the Rudd-Gillard government, why is this government intent on driving the Greens’ agenda for a carbon tax and an even bigger mining tax for Australia?

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The biggest struggle we had was Work Choices. You screwed workers to the wall.

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

Order! On my right. Senator Cameron, I need silence.

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

I am not sure there is much of a question from Senator Bernardi but more another ideological rave. The facts are that this government has worked very hard to address cost of living issues for the Australian people. We have had three sets of tax cuts. In each of the budgets we have provided significant tax cuts for working families. People on average incomes have benefited from very major tax cuts that have been implemented by this government providing direct help to middle-class families by ensuring that they pay less tax.

We have also made a very serious contribution to people’s standard of living by abolishing Work Choices and by ensuring that people have security of employment, access to fair industrial relations and fair reward for their work. We have also ensured that Australians have still got jobs. When we faced the global financial crisis, when you in the opposition said, ‘Do nothing,’ we invested heavily in a stimulus package that ensured that Australians kept working and that Australians still had jobs. That is now reflected in very good employment figures.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order on relevance, I specifically asked why the government is intent on driving a carbon tax and an even bigger mining tax on Australia. The minister has not even addressed or mentioned either of those big new taxes.

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

I believe the minister is addressing the question that you have raised. It is a fairly broad question. I invite the minister to continue his answer.

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

Senator Bernardi did not read the first part of his question, which was about the cost of living and which I am trying to address in the two minutes available to me. But I am happy to have supplementary questions, Senator Bernardi, because the other thing I wanted to mention to you is the largest increase ever in the pension for age and disability pensioners. Talk about the cost of living! I will tell you about the cost of living for people reliant on the pension. There was a huge increase in the pension which, in 13 years, governments had not delivered, but this government delivered huge increases in pensions. That impacted on their cost of living. It gave them the opportunity to live in decent standards.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Senator Evans, resume your seat. I realise there are only seven seconds remaining to answer the question, but it is very difficult, when there are interjections from both sides during an answer, to hear the answer. I am entitled to hear the answer, as everyone else is.

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

Senator Bernardi ought to have a look at what has been done for pensioners by this government to ensure that they have a decent standard of living. (Time expired)

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. The minister failed to address the primacy of the question about why they are driving a carbon tax and an even bigger mining tax on the Australian economy, so I ask: can the minister confirm whether the government has conducted any analysis or costing of the impact of these great big new taxes and the impact they will have on Australian families?

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

It is easier if we have silence. Then we will proceed. The interjections by either side do not assist the conduct of question time, and they do nothing to raise the proper profile of this place.

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

This again reflects the fact that the opposition’s economic credentials and economic capabilities go no further than the chant ‘great big new taxes’. That is it. That is all you have to offer. When we faced the challenge of global warming and the need to transform the economy to deal with global warming—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

When the interjections cease on both sides, we will proceed. Senators on my right and my left!

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

It just shows how lacking in any economic ability the opposition are. We have still not heard from them how they managed to end up with an $11 billion black hole in their funding proposals from the election. I understand that Mr Hockey was not told until he turned up at the press conference that the figures did not add up. I do not think Mr Robb told him. There are serious economic challenges facing this country, including how to make sure that we benefit from the mining boom and that the mining industry pay their fair share of tax. The government is tackling those challenges. The opposition ought to get serious.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. It is very clear that the minister is unable to mount any sort of justification for a carbon tax and an even bigger mining tax, so can the minister please tell Australians whether it is actually Labor’s election promises or the Greens’ radical agenda that will dictate the policy direction of this country?

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

It is clear that Senator Bernardi is struggling in this more complex debate when he has to move away from simple chants and simple low politics. The reality is that the government is working at trying to deal with the fact that global warming requires us to look at how we limit carbon emissions and how we transform our economy to address those issues. It is also the case that the national government has to look at revenue from mining and work out whether we have the balance right. What we did prior to the last election was to negotiate with the major miners an MRRT which allows the Australian community to get a proper return from the use of their minerals. We think that is an important thing to achieve. We look forward to bringing it before the parliament, and I look forward to the opposition getting serious and supporting us.