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. I refer the minister to the three priorities the Prime Minister set for herself at her first press conference following her deposing Mr Rudd as Prime Minister two years ago yesterday. Those priorities were to win broad community support for pricing carbon, to stop the boats and to fix the mining tax. Given that there is broad and growing community opposition to the carbon tax, that boats are arriving and that the mining tax is under challenge in the High Court and is likely to raise a lot less than predicted, can the minister advise which of these three self-selected policy areas has been the Prime Minister's greatest success?

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

I think Senator Abetz answers his own question. What Senator Abetz referred to, firstly, was the question of placing a price on carbon. It is, in fact, the case that the Australian parliament has legislated for a price on carbon. We have delivered what John Howard sought to do and what successive Liberal election commitments were to achieve but which saw the Liberal Party change its mind on the value of putting a price on carbon. What we know is that from 1 July there will be a price on carbon. We will have a massive change in the economic and environmental policies of this country that will allow us to deal with this major challenge of carbon pollution in our economy. That is a very real achievement and one which I think increasing numbers of Australians are coming to recognise is not the sort of doomsday scenario that the Liberal Party have been keen to press. In fact, it is interesting that the rhetoric of the Liberal Party has changed so much in recent days. They no longer talk about the 'Armageddon' of 1 July; now they are talking about a slow strangulation as they come to realise that the carbon price will transform our economy in a very positive way, will allow us to continue to grow jobs and will allow us to continue to grow our economy. We have an economy that, despite the impact of a carbon price coming in on 1 July, is growing very strongly, and we are seeing record investment, including in mining—a record pipeline of investment. As the mining sector realise, they will continue to have great opportunities in the Australian economy.

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. How does the government honestly claim success in these three areas when more Australians than ever oppose the carbon tax, the boats keep coming in unprecedented numbers and the mining tax is both the subject of a High Court challenge and unlikely to raise the revenue predicted?

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

It is all rhetoric from the Liberal Party. The mining tax is a classic example. The mining tax was going to destroy the mining industry in Australia; it was going to mean the end of mining investment. Now what do we see? Record investments and acceptance by the major companies that paying a fair share of the superprofits from their mining operations is a reasonable thing. So what do we get now? We now get the argument that the tax that was going to destroy the mining industry is now not going to raise anything at all. They have gone completely full circle. The other thing is that those that were running around saying, 'It's constitutionally invalid,' have gone quiet, apart from who? Twiggy Forrest. But where are the other supporters? Where are the state governments? 'Oh, well, it may not be quite as unconstitutional as we first said.' All we hear is rhetoric and negativity from the Liberal Party. We hear nothing positive, and as each deadline approaches their rhetoric becomes even more meaningless. (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. Given the great successes to which the minister has referred, can the minister advise the Senate if the government is planning any wild and uninhibited celebrations of the second anniversary of the assassination of Mr Rudd and the implementation of carbon tax, boats and mining tax policies?

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

I think Senator Abetz, as I say, reveals himself in his questions—a low-level political attack with nothing to offer the Australian people in terms of policy and nothing constructive to say about any of the big policy issues of our time. The ALP is very proud of its reforms on carbon pricing. We absolutely think it is good for the economy and good for the environment. I will make a bet today: I bet that the Liberal Party, if they get their chance, will never, ever roll back the carbon price, because they will realise how important that reform is. So I am happy to see the Liberal Party twist on the positions they have got themselves to, because they will never, ever remove the carbon price in the Australian economy. (Time expired)

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! I remind senators that, if you wish to debate it, the time is after question time.