Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

More hypocrisy from the Greens political party—more inconsistency! To suggest that the Greens political party are looking after rural and regional Australia! I invite Senator Milne to slip down to the front of Parliament House and talk to real people from rural and regional Australia. She will see what they think about the Greens and their mates in the Labor Party in this dysfunctional govern­ment. For Senator Milne, as part of the Greens Labor alliance, to talk about where the money is coming from for some of the modest initiatives that the coalition has for the abatement of greenhouse gas emissions! Fancy the Greens political party asking those questions when they are part of a scheme that will raise hundreds of millions of dollars from the taxpayers in this carbon tax that we are about to be subjected to.

I also remind Senator Milne that it was her party that joined with the Labor Party to tax ordinary Australian men and women with a flood tax that they did not impose on BHP, Rio Tinto, Coles or Woolworths. They all got off scot-free, those huge multinational companies, thanks to the Greens and the Labor Party, while mums and dads and individual Australians, the corner butcher, the baker and the candlestick-maker had to pay the tax. Their competitors, Coles and Woolworths, did not have to do that, thanks to the Greens and the Labor Party. So the hypocrisy of the Greens to come in here and argue on carbon credits, the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Bill or any other bill on the grounds that the alternatives will cost taxpayers dollars is just breathtaking.

I do not want to delay the Senate on finalising this bill. As Senator Birmingham has said, the coalition supports the principle of carbon farming. In fact, it is something that we initiated in different forms in government. It is something that Greg Hunt has done a lot of work on and it is something that will be done properly. But doing it in the way of this bill, where it is left to this government to bring in regulations to fill in the gaps that there so obviously are in this legislation, is something that the coalition cannot take the risk of. This is a government saying, 'Trust us,' when we simply do not trust this government.

Why don't we trust this government? I could spend the rest of the day telling you about that, but suffice it to say that this Labor government is led by a leader who just a year ago said, 'There shall be no carbon tax under a government I lead,' and here we are, one year later, dealing with a whole series of bills associated with this carbon tax. Before the Senate rises at the end of the year we will be dealing with the carbon tax legislation. This is the legislation that the Labor Party and the Labor leader and the Labor deputy leader, Mr Swan, promised us, just a year ago, would not be introduced under a government that Ms Gillard led. So how can we trust them on the Carbon Farming Initiative? How can we say, 'We accept you will bring in regulations to fill in the obvious gaps,' when we cannot trust Ms Gillard with anything? A year ago the Australian public trusted her when she said, 'There shall be no carbon tax under a government I lead.' She broke that promise with impunity so why would anyone in Australia believe anything this government and its leader, Ms Gillard, say or promise in the future?

That is why there are thousands of people who have come here, some in front of Parliament House and some, I understand, being held in convoys—and one must get to the bottom of why this happened—not allowed into this area. Apparently the ACT government or the federal government, who deal with the surrounds of this building, would not allow them in. There are thousands of people outside of this place and thousands of people all around Canberra who have come from rural and regional Australia, Senator Milne. Why do you think they are here? Because they like paying $400 or $500—or $4,000 or $5,000 in many cases—for fuel to get here to protest against this government, a government that Senator Milne says with this legislation, with her Greens-Labor alliance, is looking after rural and regional Australia? What absolute hypocrisy! What absolute stupidity! What an absolute lack of truthfulness in saying that! Slip outside, Senator Milne! Senator Feeney, hop out the front! See what rural and regional Australia think about your govern­ment and its Greens alliance partners and you will quickly see that people are in many cases spending their last cent to get here to try and make their voice heard so that the deaf people in this government might open their ears just a little and realise what is happening.

Senator Milne said that she was in Darwin a couple of weeks ago talking to Indigenous people and that they are looking forward to all the jobs that they are going to get out of the Carbon Farming Initiative. I am not sure where Senator Milne went in Darwin or anywhere in the north but I am sure if she had walked around anywhere in the north she would have been told by Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians that their futures and their jobs have been ruined by this government's stupidity on that live cattle export ban. What is the biggest employment generator for Indigenous people in the Northern Territory, in the north of Queensland and in the north of Western Australia? It is the cattle industry. A lot of very good cattle properties are owned by Indigenous groups and they employ a lot of people. They will not be in the future because they will go out of business.

Most of the cattle owners, the cattle producers, in the north are struggling. I have heard figures like 90 per cent of cattle businesses in northern Australia being in default to their banks. This was said at a conference between the industry and bankers in Georgetown and Cobbold Gorge just last week. Ninety per cent of northern Australian cattle interests are in default to their banks as a result of Senator Ludwig's stupidity. Can you believe that? It is difficult to believe. So they are in default to the banks and the banks are not being very supportive or very understanding and a lot of people are looking at where they will be this time next year. They may well have lost everything because of a decision of this government—and Senator Milne comes in here and tells us that she and her Labor mates are looking after rural and regional Australia and that Indigenous groups in Darwin are just waiting for this carbon farming initiative bill to come into force so they can get jobs! What about the jobs that Senator Milne and the Labor Party have destroyed in the beef cattle industry in northern Australia? What about the number of jobs in Indigenous com­munities? Indigenous organisations have been destroyed by the decisions of the Labor Party-Greens alliance.

We have heard during this debate, and I thank Senator Birmingham and Senator Colbeck for so ably leading it on behalf of the coalition, stories coming out about new bureaucratic organisations to be established such as the climate change authority and I think I heard in the debate of $400 million being set aside for that. Madam Acting Deputy President Stephens, with no disrespect to you or to others opposite, this is the philosophical difference between Liberals and Labor: Liberals believe that people are best placed to spend their own money; people should be encouraged to get ahead, work hard, reap the rewards of their efforts and spend them how they want to—subject of course to putting aside a bit for those in our community who are more disadvantaged than they are and who need some help; and that is fair enough. But the Labor Party and the Greens, and all socialist parties the world over, believe that government, Big Brother, knows better what to do with your money. 'Don't you spend it on that car. We'll tell you what car you can buy. Give us your money and we will spend it for you.'