Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Senator Ludwig. I refer the minister to three denials the White House issued in three days regarding the United States introducing a carbon tax. In particular, a White House official on 13 November said:

The Administration has not proposed nor is planning to propose a carbon tax.

The next day, on 14 November, the White House said it would not 'ignore jobs and growth simply to address climate change' but instead wanted to make sure middle-class families do not get a tax hike. Finally, on the very next day, 15 November, the White House said:

We would never propose a carbon tax, and have no intention of proposing one.

Does the minister accept that with three denials in three days there is no chance of the United States replicating Australia's carbon tax any time soon?