Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator Wong. Can you provide a guarantee that there will be no price increases for any models of car, ute or SUV as a result of Labor's family car tax? A simple yes or no will suffice.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I can guarantee is that Australians will have more choice. What I can guarantee is that Australians will have access to cars which save them money because they will use less fuel. What I can also guarantee is that the minister and the departments have gone through an exhaustive consultation process with industry, and, as a consequence, there have been changes made to the draft regulations and legislation which the government put out, or the draft policy positions.

So I think this is an example of a government making sure that there is proper consultation with the sector and a government that listens. I know that that is something that those opposite may not recall ever happening under their government. This is a government that listens to industry and to consumers and seeks to put in place the most appropriate framework that ensures that Australia does join the many countries of the world as an advanced economy with a standard.

Let's remember we are behind the eight ball, Senator. We are behind the eight ball. Other advanced economies have similar standards, and I know that what happened, again, is the same thing that happened on any action on climate change in your party room, which is that parts of the National Party vetoed it, which is why we are alongside Russia as an economy that doesn't have a standard. That's where you took us. Well, we want to move on. Consumers want to move on. We want to make sure Australians can choose from a wider range of more efficient modern vehicles and that they save at the petrol pump. This is the key thing, isn't it? You just want to make sure Australians don't get the choice of cars which are actually cheaper to run. Well, we do.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, first supplementary?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll take that as a no to the request on guarantee. Minister, can you guarantee that, under your new vehicle efficiency standard policy, no car models will be withdrawn from or have their access restricted by auto makers? Yes or no?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm sure that the senator watched the media conference. I'm sure that the senator knows that there will be changes to the fleet that Australia has as a consequence of this standard, and that will occur over time. I'm sure she would also know that, as I think one of the car manufacturers said, we need to get on with it. Do you know why we need to get on with it, Senator? Because you left us where Russia is. That's what happened. We are an advanced economy and we don't have a standard. That puts us out of kilter with the world.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You could have actually had a longer trajectory. You could have had hybrids—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is wonderful! She's suggesting a longer trajectory. Do you know what your trajectory was? Flatlining. That's what it was—flatlining forever, because Senator Canavan was always going to veto it. Unlike you, we actually want to get things done. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, second supplementary?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They can't guarantee. As part of the government's press conference, Toyota, standing next to the ministers, said that Labor's revised family car tax is still a big challenge in achieving these ambitious targets, and it would be difficult. Toyota did not give a guarantee on prices and did not give a guarantee on models—just like you—because they can't. If there was a scare campaign and it's not a genuine threat to consumers and the auto industry, why has the government decided to backflip on this policy?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'If there was a scare campaign'—do you remember when we were going to end the weekend? Oh, my goodness.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

End the backyard barbecue.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We were going end the backyard barbeque and end the weekend. Give us a break. You are stuck in the past on this. You are nowhere near where most of the advanced economies in the world are. You are happy to have us where Mr Putin has Russia in terms of standards.

Let's remember what the car makers have said. You quoted Toyota. They said:

We want an emission standard that's basically ambitious, but also brings people on the journey and doesn't leave people behind, which is where we are—

The Toyota chief executive said: 'I think the amendments have been made. We think the amendments are a positive step forward.' Yes, there is work to do, and change sometimes actually requires work to be done. But we don't think where being Russia is on this is a good thing for Australia— (Time expired)