Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Deakin for his question. There is very strong investment in the Australian economy in full knowledge of the carbon price starting on 1 July, despite all of the efforts by the Leader of the Opposition to talk down the economy. The prophet of doom has been turning up at businesses around the country for months, predicting their demise under carbon pricing. We all know, of course, that when the Leader of the Opposition visited a Peabody coalmine and forecast the death of the coal industry—its death!—the very next day the company announced a $5 billion takeover. Some death!

I have had a look at a few other places that the Leader of the Opposition has visited, and there is quite an intriguing pattern emerging: it appears that, if the Leader of the Opposition visits your business and predicts doom, in fact you might boom. Have a look at some of the results. Last year, for example, he visited BHP Billiton's Mount Whaleback iron ore mine and said, of course, 'The carbon price—the end of the iron ore industry; terrible outlook'. But what actually happened after he left? BHP Billiton then announced it would invest $822 million in further expanding the ore body nearby—$822 million after the prophet of doom had been there.

Then the Leader of the Opposition went to Austal's Henderson shipyard and said it would be terrible: 'This is going to be significantly, terribly impacted by the carbon price.' What happened after he left? Since he left Austal has announced $400 million of new contracts for its facility at Henderson—$400 million in new business. He went on to Visy's Gibson Island recycling mill and said that it was going to be a victim of carbon price and the end of the mill. Yet since he left Visy has announced a $300 million waste-to-energy proposal, including a new plant at Gibson Island. This is what Anthony Pratt, Visy's Executive Chairman, had to say:

I see clean energy as a source of future growth, energy and emissions savings and a whole new business division for Visy.

That was said by Anthony Pratt, the head of Visy, after the Leader of the Opposition had been there forecasting doom. We all know he has forecast the death of the coal industry, but $100 billion of extra investment is coming in. All we can hope is that, after his silly visit to the RSPCA today, it will forecast a better outcome for the little puppies and the little kittens in good care at the RSPCA.

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