Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation (Senator Wong) to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today.

They talk about a spring in their step. I do not think there is much spring in the step of the Australian economy at the moment. There is not much spring in the step of aluminium workers at the moment. I do not think there is much spring in the step of the meatworkers of Australia at the moment. In fact, I do not think there is much spring in the step of those who are working in the fourth estate, in the media. There is not much spring in the step going around at the moment, because of the complete and utter incompetence of people such as Minister Wong and the ludicrous position that we are now modelling the loss of Australian jobs. We have someone who is supposed to represent the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union—Minister Wong. What a joke! What a ludicrous proposition that she would represent any of those unions or any of those people. What is it that she is doing for the construction workers of Australia? What is she doing to the price of aluminium? What is she doing for the price of steel? What exactly is she doing to the Australian economy? What does she care? That is the point.

When was the last time we heard them talking about helping forestry workers? When was the last time their representative, who is now walking out the door, was going to help forestry workers or mining workers or energy workers in this nation? They do not care about it. They have evolved into a higher species; they are beyond looking after workers nowadays. It does not matter anymore. They now look after the eyrie realms of the inner suburbs. They do not care if in their own modelling we are faced with the loss of over 16,000 jobs in the aluminium industry. But what does it matter? Why are we doing this? We are doing this because on a certain day a certain prime minister, Prime Minister Gillard, sat in front of the registry book with Senator Bob Brown—he had a bit of wattle in his lapel. It was such a beautiful day; they had the support of their coterie. In the bridal party behind them stood Tony Windsor—I do not know what he was; perhaps the second best man—and Mr Rob Oakeshott, who looked like he just came out of a cave with a big beard. They all stood around, looking so happy. They were happy that they had just signed the death warrant for large sections of Australian manufacturing.

There is not much spring in the step of people who have been decimated by the live cattle trade. There is not much spring in the step up there in the Northern Territory. Perhaps it is a better gait, but still there is not much spring in the step. Then we had the small retailers. I have been talking to them. After you buy a shirt, they almost chase you around the block trying to sell you a pair of socks. Not much spring in the step there. We have been talking to the people of the Murray-Darling—in town after town they are thinking about their livelihoods that are about to be taken away. There is not much spring in the step there, either. But, apparently we have the Prime Minister coming out and saying, 'Don't worry about a carbon tax, because 850 million people in the world have one already.' It makes abundant sense with 7.05 billion people in the world; we just have to work out why the other six-plus billion people do not want one. It is all right, because even though 850 million people have got a carbon tax, apparently about 900 are still using camel dung as a mechanism for cooking. Maybe we should do that. It is just as logical. That is what it is all about. It is the Labor Party taking us back to the dark ages with the Greens, because the Greens told them to.

I know what is going to happen at the next election: we will see the Labor Party, they will all be wandering around like the burghers of Calais as a dance sculpture. They will be moping and gnashing their teeth—asking, 'Where did it all go wrong?' It might have been when they decided that they were more fascinated with the Manic Monkey Cafe of inner suburban Nirvanaville than with their own people, or the people who used to their people, the workers—when Labor used to care about the workers, people who worked for a living, those people out there with the reflecto jackets on. You should go and talk to them one day. They are sort of keen about keeping their house. They have a desire that they want to keep the dignity of having a job. They would not mind going fishing. But now you are waltzing with a group that wants to shut down the fishing zone and shut down forestry. What is your ideal town: Smithton in northern Tasmania with 30 per cent unemployment? Is that what you want? Shut down the manufacturing industry, shut down rodeos— (Time expired)

Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Now that Senator Joyce has finished his metaphorical rant, we can put clearly on the record the care factor on this side compared to the care factor of Senator Joyce. The care factor of Senator Wong is 100 per cent compared to the care factor of Senator Joyce when it comes to workers, when it comes to climate change—in fact, when it comes to any policy that you want to name. The fact is that Senator Joyce and the coalition have refused time and time again to act on climate change, to act on so much of what is going to be introduced on 1 July that is going to provide support to Australian families, in the sense of tax cuts through the tax-free threshold. Something like the tripling of the tax-free threshold will be undone by those opposite. And you call yourself a friend of the worker, when those workers earning up to $80,000 will be worse off under the coalition because the coalition will end the tax-free threshold, let alone the increases to pensioners, let alone the increases to families receiving household assistance packages through our carbon tax reform package.

One thing we do know is that, come 1 July, a number of coalition senators and members—maybe all of them—will be burying their heads in the sand, because what is going to happen? The world is not going to end. The world is not going to end at all. Here they are throwing as much fear, as much smear, as much scaremongering that they can possibly throw. I have to give it to him: Senator Joyce does it so well through the metaphorical rants that he continues to display, whether in this place or through the media, that we all have a bit of a giggle. We all have a bit of a laugh at Senator Joyce because he is pretty funny with his metaphorical rants, but it is all rubbish—it is absolutely rubbish! To think that the Australian people will just buy everything that you say—that they do not actually look beneath the very, very thin surface of what you are saying to realise that it is completely rubbish—just shows the contempt that you have for the Australian people and for their intelligence in knowing that we have got to act on the science of climate change. The science of climate change is that sea levels are going to rise and that agricultural land is going to degrade. We have got to act to support those sectors, and that is exactly what we are doing through this climate change package.

Let us think for a minute about what would happen if the coalition got their way. What would happen if the Direct Action Plan that they propose came into effect? One thing we already know, as Senator Wong has shared with us today during question time, is that there is not one economist out there that supports it. You have the support of zero economists, no economists, yet you continue on with your direct action package as though it is going to be the best thing ever compared to an emissions trading scheme, which the rest of the world is going with. Not only that, the direct action package is actually going to tax individuals, tax households. As opposed to taxing 500 of the biggest polluters in this country to ensure that they start changing their behaviour, in effect reducing our emissions, the coalition are going to tax individuals. What are they going to do with that tax? They are then going to give it to the big companies. They are going to do the reverse of what we are doing. Instead of this household assistance package, supporting families using the funds that we get from the biggest polluters, the direct action package is going to do the reverse. It is going to take from individual families and give to the biggest companies in Australia. What a joke. What a joke of a policy. It is the most convoluted, inefficient emissions reduction policy that I can think of. In fact, I would call the opposition's policy a Clayton's policy. That is what it is. The coalition are not willing to support any change that our economy or our communities need. (Time expired)

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What a show we have seen here today from the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Senator Wong, trying to convince us that the carbon tax is a great thing for Australia, that it is going to create jobs. There is just one question I have got for the minister. If this carbon tax is so good, why did the Prime Minister say before the last election that she would not give the Australian people a carbon tax? If this carbon tax is so good, why did the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, say, 'There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead'? It stands to reason that we might question that, colleagues. Here we are being told today by the minister, Senator Wong, that the carbon tax is such a good thing. Well, clearly before the last election the Prime Minister recognised that it was anything but a good thing.

Let us look at it. The carbon tax is going to put a huge financial impost on people right across this country, particularly in regional communities. And what is it going to do? It is going to increase emissions. It is going to increase emissions from 578 million tonnes to 621 million tonnes. What sort of stupid policy is that? This carbon tax, which we do not agree with, is not even going to do what the government is intending to do: reduce emissions, change the temperature of the globe—as my good colleague here, Senator Joyce, often says—by flicking a switch in Canberra. It is not going to work. It is the most stupid piece of public policy we have ever seen in this place, and that is saying something. It is not going to change the climate one little bit.

Those on the other side accuse the coalition of scaremongering. It is not scaremongering. People are genuinely scared about what this carbon tax is going to do to them. They know it is going to increase the price of electricity, they know it is going to increase the price of transport and they know it is going to increase the price of fuel. This carbon tax is going to hit regional Australia harder than anywhere else, particularly farmers, with those increased costs in fuel, electricity, transport and fertilisers. And guess what? Farmers—and I declare an interest: I am one—are the bottom of the food chain. There is nowhere for those costs to be passed on.

Farmers are going to wear it, and not only that. They are going to take a hit from the increased costs that are going to apply to abattoirs. An abattoir up on the north coast recently said it was looking at an extra cost of $500,000 a year for electricity. How can this minister, Minister Wong, sit on the other side of this chamber and tell us this is a good thing for the Australian people? It is an absolute furphy and they know that this carbon tax is a dog. It is a bad tax that is going to hit regional Australians harder than anyone else. Farmers are going to have to compete in a world market with companies that do not pay this carbon tax, and for what?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For nothing.

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is not going to change the climate one little bit. I will take that excellent interjection from my excellent coalition colleague over here, Senator Cash. It is for nothing. It is not going to do a thing. How stupid is it that the government has a policy to do something that will have no effect? Not only can the government not do what it is trying to do; it is actually going to make things worse. Emissions will go from 578 million tonnes to 621 million tonnes and the Labor government under Ms Gillard says this is a good thing. How incredibly stupid.

Electricity prices are set to rise 18 per cent in New South Wales under the IPART determination and nine per cent of that is the carbon tax. That is a fact. It is going to hit people right across the state, and figures like that are going to be reflected right across the country. And what for? The impacts on regional communities are going to be severe. Our dairy industry is going to be hit, and so will rice farmers and irrigators. Irrigators' electricity bills are going to go through the roof. This government just do not care about rural Australia. They do not have a clue. They are so disconnected from people outside the cities that they simply cannot understand what is needed out there. I can tell you, Mr Deputy President, that what is not needed is a carbon tax. We on this side of the chamber will not stand by. We will get rid of it in government for all Australians. (Time expired)

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What is extraordinary in this chamber day after day is the group of people across the other side in the coalition wanting to rehash the arguments about tackling climate change. That is really the fundamental grassroots problem that we have with the people opposite.

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

No, it's the promise of no carbon tax.

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Abetz, you would be the best of them. The problem is that you do not actually believe there is any need to take action on climate change at all. That is the problem—that we still have opposite us a bunch of deniers, a bunch of people who do not believe there is a need to take any action on climate change at all, despite the fact that prior to the 2007 election Mr Howard's and the coalition's policy was to take action.

We have been in this chamber since question time, and 20 minutes have passed since question time expired. We have seen a hopping Senator Joyce, hopping all the time. The only difference between you and Danny Kaye, Senator Joyce, is you do not wear a court jester outfit like Danny Kaye used to do in the movies.

But we never really hear any explanation from the other side about what they might do. What they fail to tell the Australian public is that they have a target of five per cent by 2020. You have a plan to introduce legislation that replaces our legislation. So let us be honest about this. Instead of playing to the little audience of six around you, let us play to the gallery. Let us play to the people listening to the broadcast. What you do not tell the Australian public is that you plan to replace this legislation.

You will take money off families. You will slug families $1,300 a year. You will expect your farmers, Senator Nash, and your aluminium workers, Senator Joyce, to dip into their pockets, into their household budgets, to pay you $1,300 a year so that you can pass that on to the big polluters. You actually think that by giving the big polluters more money in their budgets somehow you will magically change their behaviour. Your policy is to reward the big polluters in some magical hope they will say: 'Thanks for the cash from families. We'll now try and reduce our carbon emissions.'

You are totally dishonest with the Australian public. You are totally dishonest with the people who are listening to you on the broadcast. You talk about repealing this legislation but you never, ever mention the 'PS' at the bottom of the piece of paper, the fine print that says: 'We're going to replace it with our own plan.' You have a five per cent reduction target by 2020, the same as us. You never stump up and admit that. The hopping little Senator Joyce never, ever admits that. The other thing you do not admit is that you are going to slug families. You are going to make families pay for your plan. What you are hoping is that when big polluters get this bucket of money they will suddenly say, 'Thanks for the cash—now we're going to change our mind and change what we do.'

What we have decided to do is to force the big polluters to change their behaviour, and the way we do that is by pricing carbon. They are going to pay for the carbon they put into the atmosphere. We have said that we will compensate and we have started to compensate households, families and pensioners around the country. After all the scaremongering that you do, all the diatribe that we hear in this chamber, it is time for you to stump up and be honest with the Australian people about exactly what you are planning to do.

Come next Sunday, people will realise that the plan we have in place is smart, is sensible. People, particularly young people, said that they wanted a government to tackle the big reforms in this country. They want a government that is going to protect the environment. They want a government that is going to embark on tackling climate change and they will realise that this is the way to do it. Your plan is to unwind all the assistance, take it off them, slug them even further and somehow think that magically big polluters will change their behaviour. Senator Nash, that is what is stupid. (Time expired)

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call Senator McKenzie, I remind senators to direct their comments to the chair and not across the chamber.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Through you, Mr Deputy President, I rise to take note of all answers to all questions asked by coalition senators. With five days to go, the continuing denial and arrogance of this Labor government beggars belief. I would like to draw the attention of the Senate to the young people Senator Crossin mentioned and how they feel about this tax and our plans for addressing climate change. What the government needs to understand is that Australians actually do not want the carbon tax. They did not vote for it. They are screaming from their rooftops and through poll after poll and letters to the editor that they do not want it. What the young people here today in our parliament are here to learn is that we live in a democracy. Our role as representatives in our democracy is to reflect the will of the people and conduct ourselves in a way that allows the will of the people to be expressed. Time and time again, this Labor government simply does not get it right.

What the Australian people do know is that this carbon tax will severely affect our international competitiveness. I heard reference to the international perspective on this particular issue. We know that in three months under this current proposal Australians will pay what the Europeans have paid in over six years. Those are the sorts of brakes we are talking about putting on the Australian economy. In his answer, Minister Kim Carr asked us a question: why do we oppose these payments? It is because—and we will not talk about the self-funded retirees—there is no environmental gain to be had from these payments. The reason we oppose them is that we oppose waste. It is quite simple.

Small business is nowhere in the government's response to this. In fact, they are trying to gag small business on the very real impacts that this tax will have on running a small business in this country, with fines of $1.1 million.

Senator Crossin interjecting—

Dairy farmers are nowhere, Senator Crossin, and you know it. You know the impost that this particular tax will have on that sector of the agricultural industry, a huge contributor to exporters in my own state, and you have nothing for them—$5,000 to $7,000 per year just for getting the milk out the farm gate, let alone the processing costs, the transport costs and the refrigeration costs come 2014. Employees in the food-processing sector and employees in trucking from 2014 are nowhere in your plan.

A third of Australians live outside the capital cities and, once again, Labor have demonstrated so clearly that they do not get us. They demonstrate that they simply do not get us in policy after policy. Whether it is youth allowance, education or health, they have nothing for us outside capital cities. We are passionate about our environment. We live in it and we work with it every single day of our lives, and yet here we are bearing the brunt yet again of Labor's failed policies. Our councils are bearing the brunt of your policies. For Wagga Wagga it is $660,000. In Bendigo in my own home state it is $1.2 million, reflective of a potential 1.7 per cent increase in rates for local Bendigonians.

This will affect our exporters. Forty thousand people are directly employed by the dairy industry, and the largest exporter off our docks every day in Victoria—and I see Senator Kroger and Senator Fifield, fellow Victorians, are here—is Murray-Goulburn, a dairy producer. This will affect our social way of life out in the regions. We use our cars a lot to get to football games, hospitals and community meetings. We use a lot of petrol or diesel. This will impact on our social way of life. Most importantly for us, our industries, such as our abattoirs and the food-manufacturing sector—the largest manufacturing sector in Australia with 225,000 employees, most of them located in the regions—will be severely impacted by this Labor Party policy.

Minister Wong skiting about ALP investment in regional Australia is a farce because when you are on the side of politics that counts everywhere as regional Australia it just makes the comment a real joke. I love the Cats, but $10 million for Skilled Stadium just does not fly in Strathfield or Seymour. We are over it. Australians know the carbon tax is a con. It is not going to change behaviour. Most concerning is that it is not going to assist the environment or change the climate.

Question agreed to.