Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise also to address the answers that were given on the carbon tax by those on the government benches. It would be remiss of me not to note Senator Crossin's remarks in relation to the advertisements that carbon tax supporters are placing in papers around the country. She suggested that this was indica­tive of the tremendous support that the carbon tax has. To Senator Crossin, who I wish was in this chamber to hear this directly and had not left, I can only say: those who are advertising in those media outlets today must be some of the one-third left of Gillard supporters. We have seen Prime Minister Gillard's personal support plummet; it has crashed. They must be the last remaining few who still believe her and support her. There aren't many of them left.

I have to go back to Minister Wong's remarks during question time when she suggested that those on this side of the chamber were playing politics with this. What sort of hypocrisy is that? What gobsmacking hypocrisy! It is those in government, those on the government benches, who have been playing politics with this issue, because we did not have a carbon tax on the table until Prime Minister Gillard did a deal with the Leader of the Greens, Bob Brown, to form government.