Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Wong. Is the response to climate change and the imposition of a carbon tax central to the government's economic and fiscal strategy?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Isn't it amazing? Only three quest­ions in the day after the budget and they cannot ask a budget question. All they want to talk about is a carbon tax. It is extraordinary.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Senator Wong, all you need to do is address the question.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There was a time when those opposite cared about their economic credibility and cared about their fiscal credibility. Now you have got Mr Hockey running around promising surpluses but opposing savings, which, as you know, does not add up. We also have Mr Abbott, who we know has previously described economics as very 'boring'; and rather than talking about something that bores him like how you bring the budget back into the black and secure the future prosperity of the nation all he wants to do is run around and say, 'Where's the carbon price?' That is all he wants to talk about.

I think the Australian people are on to you. They know that the only reason you want to talk about the carbon price is that you have nothing to say on the budget, you have nothing to say about the jobs of Australians, you have nothing to say about how we bring the budget back into surplus and you have nothing to say about building the workforce for this nation's future.

If somehow the allegation is that we should have put the carbon price into this budget, as we have said on many occasions, we will account for the carbon price after it has been finalised in the first update post those decisions. That is what we have said, and we are no different in that to Mr Howard, who promised an emissions trading scheme, but never put it in his budget. Mr Howard talked about a GST in 1997 but did not put it into his budget for a couple of years. What we are doing is no different to what Mr Howard did. We will account for it. (Time expired)

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President I ask a supplementary question. Will the minister confirm that the imposition of a carbon tax will significantly change all the key figures in last night's budget, including the revenue estimates, the spending estimates, the growth estimates, the employment estimates and the inflation estimates? Given their importance, can the minister please advise the Senate why the details of the carbon tax were not included in the budget? How can the budget documents have any credibility without them?

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

You voted for Costello. You've got no economic credibility.

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

Says the dinosaur!

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

Order! I remind honourable senators that debate across the chamber does not help the conduct—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Order! I remind the Senate once again that the time for debate is at the end of question time.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will say again: when the government finalises its decisions on the carbon price the government will account for it properly in its next update, just as Mr Howard did on the GST. I think really we all know what is going on here. Those on the other side have no answer to this question: how would you bring the budget back to surplus? They have no idea on that question of how you would bring the budget back to surplus. So they want to create as much noise and palaver as possible. They want to continue to talk about the carbon price and they want to beat their chests about fiscal discipline but not put up their plan. The reality is that they are doing this to avoid showing any responsibility themselves, and people know it. (Time expired)

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister explain why the carbon tax was not included in last night's budget but funding for the advertising campaign was? Does this not just prove that the government believes spin is far more important than substance?

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

You'd know that, working for Peter Costello.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! When we have silence on both sides we will proceed.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In relation to the first part of the question; I think I have answered that on a number of occasions already. In relation to the second question, it is the case that there is some funding for the Climate Change Foundation campaign in last night's budget. I should advise the Senate that this is not new money but a transfer of already announced funds between years—a killer blow, Senator. It is to be used for activities to increase understanding of climate change but does not include, on my advice, paid advertising, and no decision has been taken by the government on any climate change advertising campaign.

Yet again we hear a lot of noise from the other side. What are they doing? They are trying to duck any semblance of responsibility. They are trying to avoid having to account for themselves. (Time expired)

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Order! When we have silence we will proceed.