Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

Again, in relation to the start of the questions, and in relation to the number of entities covered and the like, page 99 of the revised explanatory memorandum tabled in relation to the bill does provide all of the information that Senator Singh is looking for. We, of course, did all of the consultation that is appropriate in the circumstances, particularly bearing in mind that the most relevant and the most important consultation took place on 7 September last year—it was called a general election. At the general election, the proposition that we put to the Australian people was that we would scrap the carbon tax, to bring down the cost of electricity, to bring down the cost of gas, to bring down the cost of living and to bring down the cost of doing business. What we always said, very clearly, in the lead-up to that election was that we would take the necessary steps to ensure that the removal of the carbon tax would result in the appropriate pass-through of any cost reductions as a result of scrapping the carbon tax, to business and to consumers. We have already made a series of strong provisions in the bills that we put to the parliament to ensure that that happens. And, as part of the democratic process in this chamber, we took on board some sensible, constructive, positive suggestions by senators from the Palmer United Party. That is the way the Senate is supposed to work. Just because the Labor Party and the Greens like to make themselves irrelevant by putting themselves on the sidelines, because they want to continue to persist in acting in defiance of the express will of the Australian people, that does not mean that we should not be engaging in constructive discussions and conversations on ways to make good legislation even better, and that is what we have done. That is what is before the Senate, and that is what the Senate should vote on as soon as possible.