House debates Questions without Notice
Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Revenue
2:30 pm
My question is to the Special Minister of State and follows the answer he provided to the member for Throsby. Minister, didn’t your July LPG letter also say ‘the use of LPG fuel in all Australian government vehicles would be inconsistent with the government’s recent support for ethanol blended fuels’ and that the use of LPG is ‘contrary to existing industry development initiatives’? Minister, isn’t this just another example of divisions within the government—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Government Members:
Government members interjecting—
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage
Martin is trying not to laugh, Joel.
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Revenue
Minister, isn’t this yet another example of divisions opening up within the government, with your own letter completely contradicting the centrepiece of the Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday?
Gary Nairn Eden-Monaro, Liberal Party, Special Minister of State
I thank the member for Hunter. No, not at all. It is simply an example of how policy develops. There is nothing wrong with that. Changes have taken place in a whole variety of areas as we have undergone reform and development—particularly in the energy area, which has changed dramatically in the last few years. Certainly, the comments in my letter supported the policies that had been put in place by the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, but the whole world of energy has changed dramatically—
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Revenue
Since July?
Gary Nairn Eden-Monaro, Liberal Party, Special Minister of State
Even since July it has changed—absolutely—and we will continue to develop policy further.
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Revenue
Mr Speaker, I seek leave to table the July letter from the Special Minister of State to the member for Throsby—a very good letter.
Leave granted.