Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Wong. I refer to the 2,700 jobs already lost in the Queensland coal industry. Has the minister done any modelling or received any further advice on how many more jobs will be lost when a carbon emission charge of $2.4 billion is placed on the Queensland coal industry?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Boswell for his question. One of the issues that Senator Boswell obviously never seems to turn his mind to is the number of jobs that will be lost if we fail to act on climate change. It is interesting to note the number of people employed in agriculture in the Murray-Darling Basin. I was of the understanding that the National Party were the defenders of agriculture. I remind the good senator of the Garnaut projections about the effect on agriculture in the Murray-Darling Basin if emissions are not reduced and if climate change—

Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You should talk to the CSIRO.

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I asked a question on coal, not agriculture. Could you ask the minister to be relevant, because she is not being relevant. I ask you to direct her to be so.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has one minute and 22 seconds in which to complete the answer to the question.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The agricultural sector in the basin employs about 90,000 people. I would hope that, as a good senator from Queensland, Senator Boswell would have some regard to the many thousands of people—60,000 people, based on one Queensland government publication—who are supported by tourism and the industries associated with the Great Barrier Reef. These are the sorts of issues that Senator Boswell, who is a well-known climate change sceptic, does not wish to address. I note the interjection previously from Senator McGauran, which confirms yet again that the sceptics are on the ascendancy on the other side. We have designed the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme very carefully so as to ensure support for industries in this nation.

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. Mr President, the Senate voted for you to direct ministers to be relevant. I am asking you to be relevant, because you are not being relevant by letting the minister not answer the question. I asked a question on coal and the minister has not mentioned coal once in her answer.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Boswell, that is not a point of order. There are 27 seconds remaining. Minister, I draw your attention to the question.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, we have designed this scheme so as to support jobs in industries today whilst investing in the jobs of the future. The good senator should consider the white paper, which provides some three-quarters of a billion dollars of assistance to the coalmining industry—that is, $750 million which was specifically put in place to recognise some of the transitional assistance that that industry and other industries need. (Time expired)

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Why was the coal industry deliberately excluded from receiving free permits, despite the fact that the coal industry qualified for permits, under the green paper, which would have helped to maintain jobs in the industry?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I again say that the coal industry, the coalminers, were provided under the government’s white paper with some three-quarters of a billion dollars worth of assistance. The senator asked in his earlier question about modelling. I would invite him to consider the Treasury modelling, the largest modelling exercise in the nation’s history, which talks about the fact, amongst other things, that the value of output in coalmining, gas extraction, metal products et cetera will increase by 2050 even with the introduction of the scheme—and I would emphasise that was assuming a less generous set of assistance to industry than the government in fact implemented. In other words, the modelling demonstrates that these sectors can continue to grow. However, this government, because it is responsible and it is serious about supporting jobs today as well as the jobs of tomorrow, provided more assistance than was set out in the green paper.

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Minister, you did not model the white paper. How can the Queensland coal industry be competitive against China, Indonesia, Colombia and other countries when no other country in the world places a tax on fugitive emissions? Won’t Queensland miners be noncompetitive with a charge of $2.4 billion and be forced to shed more jobs?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, really, the question the Australian people will ask is: how can we take the opposition seriously on climate change? The position Senator Boswell has just articulated is a more hardline position than they executed Mr Nelson for. It is the position that you did not like your then leader, Mr Nelson, putting out as your public position. But what you are retaining now, it appears from Senator Boswell’s question, is a position that says, ‘We don’t want to act.’ We know that you are the do-nothing party when it comes to jobs; we saw that on the $42 billion stimulus package—do nothing; sit on your hands. It is the same when it comes to climate change.

Ron Boswell (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. My point of order is relevance. I asked a question about a $2.4 billion carbon charge on the Queensland mining industry. The minister has not addressed it once. If the minister will not play the game, you are in this house as the umpire and you should make her play the game, because you are not the senator for the Labor Party, you are the senator for the chamber. We have all voted for you, including me. Now pull her into order, please.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, can I say that that was a disgraceful interjection by Senator Boswell in taking a point of order. If you are going to raise a point of order then, with all respect, stay relevant to the point of order when you raise it. In this instance the minister has been relevant to the question, has been answering in relation to—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Resume your seat, Senator Ludwig. When there is quiet we will proceed. Senator Ludwig.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have made the point that there is no point of order and I would ask Senator Boswell to consider the reflection that he made on the chair.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. Senator Wong, you have 20 seconds in which to answer the question that has been asked by Senator Boswell.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, apparently what Senator Boswell is putting is that we should not take action on climate change in this nation at all unless the rest of the world acts first. That is the same position that John Howard held. It is a harder line than Mr Nelson held before he was moved on, shall we say, by those on the other side. We are serious about not only supporting today’s jobs but supporting the jobs of tomorrow. (Time expired)