Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Senator Wong. I refer the minister to the detailed unemployment data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics last Thursday which showed that the unemployment rate in regional Australia is six per cent while the unemployment rate in capital cities is 5.1 per cent. Given that the economic modelling confirms that a carbon tax will hit regional Australia the hardest, can the minister provide the name of one person with a green job in regional Australia?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

First, in relation to unemployment, I assume that the senator would acknowledge the relatively low unemployment we have in Australia. I would hope he would acknowledge that it is in great part due to the actions taken by this government, opposed by those opposite, to stave off a recession—action which was opposed by those opposite and which ensured that some 200,000 Australians who would have been on the dole queues are not but are in work. This government have created 730,000 jobs since we came to government, the effect of which can be seen by looking at where the American unemployment rate is and where ours is. We entered the global financial crisis with around the same rate of unemployment; we have exited this period with an unemployment rate with a five in front of it, as opposed to a nine. In relation to the impact, essentially I think the question comes down to the impact on jobs in—

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order on relevance. There was only one question: can the minister provide the name of one person with a green job in regional Australia? That is all she has to do. It could take precisely five seconds.

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

Mr President, on the point of order: again, all we see from the opposition is an opportunity to restate the question. The minister is answering the question and she is being directly relevant to the question, but again we see the second tier, where they simply suggest what the answer is in the question. The minister is answering the question.

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

Order! I am listening closely to the minister's response. The minister has 50 seconds remaining and she should be addressing the question.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would make the point, Mr President, that there are a number of programs under the clean energy package including, for example, the carbon farming package, the coal sectors job package and the $9.2 billion jobs and competitiveness program, which will support employment and new jobs across the economy. I would also make the point that there are, as Senator Joyce would probably be aware, a great many renewable energy projects which actually are—

Opposition senators interjecting—

How could that not be relevant?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He's up again. He's a clown!

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order that is absolutely one of relevance. I know that Senator Conroy is embarrassed by the fact that they cannot answer the question, but we just want the name of one person with a green job: Bill Smith, Pam Jones, Penny Wong, I do not know, someone out there who has got one of these jobs.

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

There is no point of order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was making the point that there are a great many renewal projects which are in fact situated in regional Australia—the geothermal projects in my home state of South Australia being one example. They are not in the CBD; they are in northern South Australia. (Time expired)

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Obviously, the minister has not got a clue—not one person could she mention. Mr President, I ask a supplementary question of the person who is unable to name one person with a job, the Minister for Finance and Deregulation. I refer the minister to the modelling of a carbon tax conducted by—

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How many village idiots does it take to make up the National Party?

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What is that noise? Is that a door mat?

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

Senator Joyce, resume your seat. On my right! When there is order we will proceed. This is not a time for debating, on either side of the chamber.

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given that the modelling confirms the regional areas of Mackay, Rockhampton and Gladstone will be the hardest hit by the carbon tax, how can a government elected on a promise to deliver for regional Australia continue to support a policy— (Time expired)

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

Mr President, in fairness you must allow Senator Joyce to finish his question. He was interrupted by interjections from the other side which, on this occasion, you did not pull into line. I could not even hear Senator Joyce, and I am sitting very close to him. I ask that you allow him to finish his question.

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

He had 30 seconds in which to ask his question. Some of that time he used for a preface to the question, which is not in order. I did not pull Senator Joyce up on that. The question has been asked. It is now up to the minister to answer the question.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. First, in relation to regional jobs I again make the point as to where a number of renewable energy projects are situated. Those would include the Macarthur Wind Farm, which will create 900 jobs during construction, the Woodlawn Wind Farm in New South Wales, 150 jobs during construction, and the solar farm in New South Wales that will create another 50 jobs. I would also make the point that the Carbon Farming Initiative, which, as I recall, was opposed by those opposite, does include a substantial investment in regional Australia, including $33.6 million to establish regional Landcare facilitated positions in each of the NRM regions which, I am advised by my colleague, is in the process of being implemented. I would make this point: Senator Joyce fails to understand the importance of moving this economy to clean energy— (Time expired)

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister explain how the government can determine the impact of the carbon tax on regional Australia, when it has released no modelling of the impact of the carbon tax on regional Australia? When will the government come clean with regional Australia and release the detailed modelling of the impact of the carbon tax on towns such as Rockhampton, held by Kirsten Livermore, Mackay, Gladstone and the Hunter Valley?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

First, we have released modelling across the whole of the economy which shows that if the economy grows, jobs grow, incomes grow and emissions fall. It was done by the Australian Treasury, the people who used to advise Mr Costello. That is the modelling the government has released.

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Did the minister just say that in her modelling emissions fall?

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

That is not a point of order; it is a point of debate which you can take up in taking note of answers after three o'clock.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the senator wants to look at the commitment of this government to regional Australia I would invite him to consider the budget that was handed down earlier this year. We consolidated the programs of expenditure in regional Australia into a single document—a budget book. It shows that this government is delivering more for regional Australia than Senator Joyce was ever able to gain from a coalition government: more in health, more in education and more in infrastructure.