Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer the minister to those fiscal tables published by the government that she just mentioned, which indicate that, even in the period when no international permits are being purchased, the carbon tax package runs at a multibillion dollar deficit. Will the minister tell the Senate which Australians will miss out on compensation to deal with the ever-increasing costs passed through with the carbon tax, or will a much bigger deficit be incurred beyond the forward estimates? Which is it: compensation that does not keep up or a bigger deficit, Minister?