Senator Eric Abetz

The Coalition does deny the formality being sought by the Government, because we want to ensure that they will have to take each and every step to perpetrate their deceit on the Australian people.

We will not allow them to just throw into the Senate 19 bills and say, 'This is a package' - we will challenge their conscience on every single bill.

They know that the only reason they are sitting on the Government side of this chamber and in the other place is that Ms Gillard solemnly promised the Australian people that there would be no carbon tax.

"Extreme behaviour by union officials including a request for patrons to boycott QANTAS highlights how little the Union movement has learned from the collapse of Ansett on the 12^th of September 2001," Senator Abetz said today. 

Five out of six Senators from each State of the Commonwealth of Australia were elected at the last election on a promise of no carbon tax.

Two out of two Senators for each of the Territories were elected on a promise of no carbon tax.

One hundred and forty-eight Members out of the 150 House of Representatives Members were elected on a promise of no carbon tax.

So, today the Australian people are quite rightly asking: why is it that the carbon tax legislation has been carried through the House of Representatives?

Senator Abetz: Good morning, a number of issues today. First of all the Carbon TAX. Every single Labor Member of the House of Representatives was elected on a policy of NO Carbon TAX. Today they have the opportunity of restoring the faith of the electorate. If they go against that which they promised to the electorate the electorate is entitled to judge them and judge them exceptionally harshly. In relation to the two country Independents. Independents are elected on the basis of, one, that they will always represent their electorates' wishes, and two, to keep the Government honest. I would still appeal at this late stage to Mr Windsor and Mr Oakeshott and invite them to consider those two propositions. What do their electorates want them to do? Their electorates want them to vote against the Carbon TAX. Their electorates also want them to keep the Government honest and the Government said NO Carbon TAX. So those two Independents have a very real task today to ensure that they live up to the expectations of their electorates.