Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on the benefits to the economy and jobs of the repeal of the carbon tax, and are there any risks to these benefits?

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. He recognises that this government is about building a stronger economy—

Mr Champion interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Wakefield can leave under 94(a). He had been warned twice.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and creating more jobs. That is why we axed Labor's anticompetitive, costly, job-destroying carbon tax. The carbon tax was a $9 billion penalty on the Australian economy, slowing it down, preventing the creation of jobs.

Today Qantas has announced its strongest profit in many years. Amongst the issues for which they gave credit was the abolition of the carbon tax. It made a significant contribution to the turnaround in Qantas's profitability—and there are many other companies that could say exactly the same thing. For Qantas, this means savings of $116 million made in just one financial year. As a result of the abolition of this carbon tax Qantas will be able to return 23c per share to shareholders before Christmas this year. The people who have endured the pain with Qantas will now get some reward. They have stuck by the company and it is now able to pay a dividend. Once more, they are going to buy eight new Boeing 787-900 aircraft. What this government has done by abolishing the carbon tax has meant that one of Australia's iconic industries has been able to return to profitability.

One would think that that is a very strong lesson that members opposite would have learnt from their carbon tax experience, but they have not. They have said that, if re-elected, they are going to bring it back, bigger and uglier than ever—bigger and uglier than ever! Qantas's relief would be short-lived. Australian households and taxpayers would be slugged again by Labor. It is a job-destroying tax.

When we scrapped the carbon tax it made a difference to business confidence and it is now also showing up on business bottom lines. We want a strong economy that is capable of creating jobs and an economy that does not have to carry a carbon tax—a carbon tax that adds to costs but does absolutely nothing to change the climate.