Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment. I refer the minister to correspondence from United Dairy Products, who operate two dairy processing facilities in my electorate. Given that United Dairy Products has calculated that the carbon tax has cost their business more than $800,000 to date, why must the carbon tax be repealed, and who is standing in its way?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Barker. He is somebody who knows more than a little bit about fairness to farmers and rural and regional families. He knows this, because he grew up on the land. He knows this as the son of a farming family. He knows this because he actually represents a rural area with people who pay the carbon tax daily.

In particular, he raised the issue of United Dairy Products, which has a carbon tax bill to date of approximately $800,000. It has two plants within his electorate—Murray Bridge and Jervois. It has 100 employees, but it is not the only dairy that pays the bill. Murray Goulburn has a direct carbon tax bill of $2.5 million, plus electricity and gas. Fonterra has a direct carbon tax bill of $3 million, plus electricity and gas. Tatura Milk has a direct carbon tax bill of $666,000, plus electricity and gas. So this carbon tax—today, right now—is a continuing tax on milk and on dairy farmers, who, according to the Australian Dairy Industry Council, will pay between $1,000 and $3,000 per farm per year. So dairy farmers, who already do it tough, are being hit with a carbon tax not just on their production, not just on their family incomes, but also on the milk they produce. That is what the opposition is giving us.

But who is standing in the way of repealing the carbon tax. Only two days ago we heard some wonderful news. I want to go back to the statement from the member for Port Adelaide on Australian Agenda:

We do support the abolition of the carbon tax.

What a moment. One would imagine from that statement that they are going to vote for the abolition of the carbon tax. Well, next week you have the opportunity to make good on that statement—the abolition of the carbon tax—because the bills will be back before this House. But there was something else the member for Port Adelaide said in that interview. When asked about if the carbon tax was repealed he said:

We will obviously as an opposition have to take stock and over the next year or two build an alternative policy.

But this morning a little email fell into my hands, one that was sent to Labor Party members from the member for Port Adelaide. It said:

Actually, we have been arguing in the parliament for an emissions trading scheme ever since the election.

He says one thing to the Australian people on Sunday and another thing quietly this morning. They are completely confused. If they want to do something, get out of the way— (Time expired)