George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Industry. I refer the minister to the comments of Michael Roche from the Queensland Resources Council at the Australian Steel Convention, where he said that 8,000 jobs have recently been lost in the Queensland coal sector. That has added to 37 jobs that it was announced yesterday had been lost because of the closure of the local Thiess office in Mackay. Minister, what impact will axing the carbon and mining taxes have on job opportunities in North Queensland?

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I call the honourable the Minister for Industry.

Ian Macfarlane (Groom, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would remind that the Speaker is in the chair!

Ian Macfarlane (Groom, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Dawson for his question.

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

The member for Dawson, unlike the member for Isaacs, has a very good understanding of what the carbon tax and the mining tax are doing to the coal industry, not only in Queensland but across this nation. We have seen across the coal industry, as the member mentioned, some 8,000 jobs lost in Queensland in the last 18 months. I noticed the member for Isaacs was good enough to say, hopefully loud enough so it was heard, that the coal industry is going well. Can I assure you, Member for Isaacs, that it is doing nothing of the sort—and thank you for admitting that your carbon tax and your mining tax, which you were an integral part of introducing, are part of that problem. You said the coal industry was doing well, and it is not. The reasons for that are the carbon tax and the mining tax, amongst other issues.

If you want to restore confidence to an industry you do not tax it. If you want to restore confidence to an industry you get rid of the taxes. You get rid of the mining tax. You get rid of the carbon tax. You remove the cost impediments, but not only to the industry—because only the Labor Party could introduce a tax that actually costs money. They introduced a tax that locked in $16.7 billion worth of spending on a tax that raised a mere $400 million.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What have you said to Campbell about his royalties?

Ian Macfarlane (Groom, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the member for Moreton would listen he would learn something. It costs, on top of those losses, another $50 million to collect by the ATO. This is a disastrous tax. Then you combine it with the carbon tax, which is a $9 billion hit on industry and resources in Australia and you wonder why the coal industry is doing so badly at the moment.

The coalition is intent not only on removing these taxes but restoring confidence to industry and resources. The member for Dawson has shown over the last three years as the member for that seat that when you support an industry, when you protect and work with an industry, the community actually understands you are trying to save the industry. So despite the downturn in his electorate, despite the fact that things are getting tough in Mackay, despite the fact that the Labor Party went to war on the resources sector, I have to report that the member for Dawson was returned with an increased majority. That is not just because of that; it is also because he works so hard across the many other issues in his electorate. Madam Speaker, if those on the other side want to end the vandalism of the resources sector that they introduced then I suggest they get out of the way and let us repeal the carbon tax and the mining tax.