Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Senator Wong. Minister, is the government negotiating any last-minute changes to the carbon tax?

Senator Conroy interjecting—

Sorry, I will repeat the question, because Senator Conroy obviously does not want to listen to it. My question, Mr President, is to the Minister representing the Minister the Climate Change and Energy Efficiency: is the government negotiating any last-minute changes to its carbon tax?

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

I thank the senator for his question; I am surprised it was not on Mr Abbott's speech. I would have thought that would have been the first question, backing the leader.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes or no!

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

Continue, Senator Wong.

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

I am trying. He is very anxious. It has only been 21 seconds.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Settle down, Senator.

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

Senator Wong, ignore the interjections. The question has been asked.

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

The last time I looked, the clean energy future package, including the carbon price mechanism, had passed the Senate. If Senator Cormann is aware of a way that we could retrospectively amend a bill after it has passed the Senate—I am not aware of such a way—I am sure he could tell me about that. But the legislation has already passed and the government has made its position very clear.

Honourable senators interjecting—

I will take the interjection. I know there are a range of things that need to be dealt with through policy and regulation, and the government are proceeding with a number of those. We have the Clean Energy Finance Corporation legislation, which will be dealt with in this Senate, hopefully in the near future, and we have the Climate Change Authority appointments to be made. There is a range of such matters. I am not sure what the senator is referring to, but I can say to him very clearly that we have put out a great deal of detail in relation to the clean energy future package. It is an economically cogent package which puts a price on pollution and is the most efficient way we know to reduce pollution in the Australian economy—in fact in any economy. That point has been made by economists worldwide and also by the IMF. I would hope that those opposite would be aware of that and would read those comments, because they continue to persist with a policy that will cost Australia more.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take that as a no. Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. At what point in time will the government formally assess whether its carbon tax, the world's biggest carbon tax, has been a success or failure?

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

First, there is another lie contained in Senator Cormann's question, which I will respond to.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

It is a lie.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. Senator Wong effectively called Senator Cormann a liar. That is unparliamentary. She should be ashamed of herself and she should be required to withdraw at once.

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

There is no point of order. That is not what was said.

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

I suspect that Senator Cormann may be a little more robust than Senator Brandis at the moment, for whatever reason that might be. He seemed quite fine.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! Senator Wong, resume your seat. Order! On both sides.

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

One of the propositions put to me in the supplementary was that well-known phrase 'world's biggest carbon tax'. We know that is inaccurate. We know that a number of countries—

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, a point of order in relation to the requirement for the minister to be directly relevant to the question. She has now used more than half the time allotted to her and she has not gone anywhere near the question, which was: at what point in time will the government assess whether its carbon tax has been a success or failure? That is a very serious question and I urge you to direct the minister to be directly relevant to the question, as she is required to be.

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

I consider the minister to be answering the question. The minister has 27 seconds remaining.

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

Thank you, Mr President; I am responding to a proposition in the question. In response to that, I would make the point that Britain is expected to have a carbon price of $24 to $30 a tonne, this is over the next few years; Sweden, $130 a tonne; Switzerland, $30 to $60; Norway, $53; and Ireland $24 to $37 a tonne. Of course, the scheme that is most expensive is the one that is proposed by those opposite.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Is there any circumstance at all in which the government would water down its carbon tax—the world's biggest carbon tax—which will push up the cost of electricity, push up the cost of living, push up the cost of doing business and reduce our international competitiveness while doing nothing to help reduce global greenhouse gas emissions?

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

That was not really a question, if I may say. It was yet another iteration of a set of inaccurate propositions—if they get worried about the word 'lies', I will say 'falsehoods' or 'untruths'—that the opposition continue to put in relation to pricing carbon. What they do not tell Australians is that they are signed up to the same reduction by the end of the decade that the government is, but what they want to do is get taxpayers to fund it and make the economy bear a greater cost. That is what the opposition want to do. But they do not want to talk about that; all they want to talk about are a set of propositions which are wrong. What we are seeing is the opposition, even Senator Cormann, backing away from some of the more ridiculous propositions which are being made, including the tax being death to industries and towns being wiped off the map, all of which are simply untrue.