Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness. Will the minister inform the House—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Standing orders indicate that question time finishes at approximately 3.10 pm. The last time I looked it was eighteen minutes to four.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Question time concludes at the indication of the Prime Minister. The member for Makin has the call.

Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness. Will the minister inform the House of the future of export-oriented Australian cities and regions under a carbon price? What would be the impacts of inaccurate claims that those places will be severely damaged by a carbon price?

Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Competitiveness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Makin, a proud South Australian. Shell is investing $30 billion in Australia, in the full knowledge of a carbon price; Rio Tinto, another $3.7 billion in the Pilbara; and BHP, $833 million in the Illawarra. However, I am asked about the effects of inaccurate claims. We have heard that the following places will be wiped off the map on Sunday: Whyalla, Gladstone, Kwinana, Portland, the Latrobe Valley, the Hunter Valley and the Illawarra. The opposition leader is trying to terrify these communities, destroy jobs and destroy confidence in them. The 'great Whyalla wipe-out' will not occur on Sunday but, just to be sure, I will be going to Whyalla with the Special Minister of State and I will be meeting his mum. I will be taking my sky-high measuring device—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister for trade will not regret me letting him get the question.

Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Competitiveness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We will be checking the height of the sky, because Chicken Little will be proved wrong. The sky-height measuring device will show that Chicken Little is wrong: the sky will not fall in. Obviously an indication of a falling sky would be failing light, so I will be taking my light meter too. When I try it, I go to the opposition and it is dark; here, it is light—forces of darkness, forces of light, forces of darkness, forces of light!

We will be doing everything we can to ensure that these communities are protected. The light will be good. It will be game on, and game on means the end of the fear and smear because the Gillard Labor government is a triumph of hope over fear, of ideas over smear, and we will prevail.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was worth the extension, but at this point further questions should be placed on the Notice Paper.