Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

You are going to drive out this investment. The member for Throsby should be aware of this article because, when asked by the newspaper if pricing emissions was a threat to local jobs, the member did not seem concerned, refusing to answer the question.

Let us look at some of the online comments following the article in the Illawarra Mercury.

Isn’t the local Labor MP, Stephen Jones, meant to represent his community? What a gutless and deflective answer in th article … Mr Jones, just remember, we voted you in and we can vote you out …

And another:

well done labor, way to screw us all over again. Another nail in your coffin, problem is we have to wait too long to bury you. Labor are a disgrace, and while our esteemed PM says that she is going to create jobs using this TAX, i wonder how many of the illawarra workers feel safe now. Time to stand up people and be heard.

The member for Throsby knows well that BlueScope Steel employs 4,900 people directly in his electorate. His failure to stand up for his electorate has now put those jobs at risk. This is in a region suffering serious, overinflated unemployment, with youth unemployment standing at a whopping 39 per cent. You can babble on about certainty all you like, but you need to think about the great uncertainty that you have caused those 4,900 people directly employed in your electorate.

This motion is an embarrassment to the member for Throsby—to talk about fairness when your electorate will perhaps be affected more than any other. You have abandoned your constituents. How are you going look them in the eye when you have destroyed their jobs? This is going to give you the nickname Stephen ‘Job Killer’ Jones. This motion should be treated with the contempt that it deserves.

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