Senator Eric Abetz

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.

On another matter, at a time when everybody in Australia is saying we've got to lift our productivity, the productivity of our workforce needs to be increased; we have the Government announcing that they will get rid of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, one of the great drivers of productivity increase in Australian workplaces where we have seen the saving of $5.5 Billion, a reduction in the CPI of 1.2%, real good economic drivers coming out of the ABCC. But because they are so beholden to the trade union movement, the CFMEU, the Electrical Trade Union, etc, they are going to destroy the ABCC and with it the degree of peace and harmony that we were able to get on Australian construction sites.

So at a time when Qantas is in disarray with strikes, when you've got the McCain's illegal strike, when you've got problems at the desalination plant in Victoria, the Labor party believes this is the right time to get rid of the ABCC. You've got to ask the question why? And one assumes it is Julia Gillard trying to shore up support amongst the Left Wing of her Party as an offset to the Malaysian solution that she's trying to get through.

Journalist: inaudible.

Senator Abetz: In relation to the vote in the House of Representatives the greatest disappointment is with the Prime Minister who stared down the cameras at election time six days before the election and said there will be NO Carbon TAX under a Government I lead. That is the greatest disappointment. That is why the Australian people have lost faith in this Government because it was either a bald-faced lie or she's got to give an explanation to the Australian people as to why she's changed her mind on this issue and it's not only Ms Gillard, it's every single Labor Member that will be betraying the trust of the electorate placed in them.

Journalist: inaudible.

Senator Abetz: I'm inviting everybody to vote according to the way their electorate would vote on this important issue given that Ms Gillard promised that she would not introduce this TAX. She is the one who has broken faith with the electorate, as has every single Labor Member that was re-elected on the promise of NO Carbon TAX.

Journalist: inaudible.

Senator Abetz: Well the great pressure on the Government is that they made a solemn promise to the Australian people and they have wilfully broken it, only for one reason, and that is to keep Julia Gillard as Prime Minister. And what happened in the House of Representatives yesterday is a sideshow in comparison to the deceit that is being perpetrated on the Australian people by the Prime Minister and the Labor Party. Let's not forget she deliberately said there would be NO Carbon TAX and when we invited the Australian people to treat that promise cynically, we were accused by her Deputy, Mr Swan that we were being hysterical and of course there wouldn't be a Carbon TAX. Mr Swan has to explain why he has also misled the Australian people as do all the Labor back-benchers.