Senate debates

Thursday, 26 November 2009

Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 [No. 2]; Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009 [No. 2]; Australian Climate Change Regulatory Authority Bill 2009 [No. 2]; Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (Charges — Customs) Bill 2009 [No. 2]; Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (Charges — Excise) Bill 2009 [No. 2]; Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (Charges — General) Bill 2009 [No. 2]; Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS Fuel Credits) Bill 2009 [No. 2]; Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS Fuel Credits) (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009 [No. 2]; Excise Tariff Amendment (Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme) Bill 2009 [No. 2]; Customs Tariff Amendment (Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme) Bill 2009 [No. 2]; Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Amendment (Household Assistance) Bill 2009 [No. 2]

In Committee

4:10 pm

Photo of Ian MacdonaldIan Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed, Senator Boswell. I know what impact it had on the Cairns economy when the Labor Party refused to give a contract to the Cairns shipbuilding operation. Thereby some 300 jobs were—not put at risk—lost. They should have been given the shipbuilding contract but they were not, as a result of shenanigans between the state Labor government and the federal Labor government.

But that was in Cairns. You can imagine what the loss of 1,200 jobs would do to this community of north Queensland. I know that today, following the presentation of this article in the Townsville Bulletin, there are a great many Townsville working families currently under great stress at the suggestion that the nickel refinery will close because of the government’s CPRS. I ask the minister whether she could accede to the request of the refinery for the status of a stand-alone industry to gain the top rate, or whether in other ways the minister can assure not just the owners of this refinery—whilst they are important they are less important in this equation—but also the 1,200 working families in Townsville that their jobs are not at risk of being exported to the Philippines.

I note that the Townsville mayor has said that he will be raising that with Mr Rudd when he visits Townsville next month but that will be too late. I would just like an assurance from the minister that they will take whatever action is necessary to ensure that 1,200 jobs are not lost from this refinery in Townsville.

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