House debates

Tuesday, 11 October 2011

Bills

Clean Energy Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Income Tax Rates Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Household Assistance Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Tax Laws Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Fuel Tax Legislation Amendment) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Customs Tariff Amendment) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Excise Tariff Legislation Amendment) Bill 2011, Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment Bill 2011, Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Unit Shortfall Charge — General) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Unit Issue Charge — Auctions) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Unit Issue Charge — Fixed Charge) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (International Unit Surrender Charge) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Charges — Customs) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Charges — Excise) Bill 2011, Clean Energy Regulator Bill 2011, Climate Change Authority Bill 2011, Steel Transformation Plan Bill 2011; Consideration in Detail

8:00 pm

Photo of Sharon GriersonSharon Grierson (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This is good Labor policy that makes big polluters pay. It is a Labor policy that supports 90 per cent of households with any cost impacts. It supports all pensioners. It supports three million low-income families with a tax-free threshold rising from $6,000 to $18,000, which will support over 90 per cent of households. I would like to know if the Leader of the Opposition will stop those payments. Is it his style to stop the cheques, denying the Australian people the assistance they will need? Possibly.

This is a Labor policy because it sustains industry. It absolutely invests into our current industry and the jobs they create. It also invests in innovation, in the future and in the environment. I note my colleague mentioned the impact on biodiversity if we do nothing. Australia leads the world in loss of biodiversity. That is not something we should be at all proud of. This is a very good effort to do something about that.

I have also heard across the chamber: 'We can't afford this; this impost is terrible.' I think they said that about slavery: 'We can't afford to get rid of slavery. We can't afford anything that prejudices our profits.' This is absolutely an argument that we hear every day from the opposition. 'We can't afford it. The sky will fall. The economy will be ruined.' This is the economy that has been recognised internationally as one of the strongest, most resilient economies in the world.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop interjecting

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