Nothing could be clearer: Labor sought and obtained a mandate from the Australian people not to impose a Carbon Tax
Monday, 31 October 2011 14:58
“The Clean Energy Bill 2011 and related bills, if they are turned into Acts, should they pass in the Senate will be 19 separate acts of deceit, 19 separate acts of betrayal, 19 separate acts signifying the contempt in which Labor holds the Australian people,” Senator Abetz said today.
“Rather than debating the clean energy package, we should in fact be renaming it the 'dirty deal package' because it was struck with a dirty deal with the Australian Greens, a party, incidentally, led by a person who once advocated for coal-fired power stations in his opposition to renewable, environmentally friendly hydro generation.”
Labor’s ‘light on the hill’ is no longer powered by reliable, base load, traditional Labor thought but powered instead by faltering and flickering transitory trendy fads changing it from a once-strong, clear beam to a pale, intermittent, slowly dying ember.”
“The Australian Labor Party has not only lost its moral compass, it has lost its policy map as well,” Senator Abetz said.
“As the Greens-Labor Government foolishly and recklessly rushes to create this toxic tax, they tell us that countries all around the world are moving just as quickly. I have to concede that they are right. Countries are moving just as quickly, but in the opposite direction.”
“Canada – No to a Carbon Tax, France – No, Europe – reconsidering its position, Japan – indefinitely postponed, United Kingdom – reducing green energy subsidies, New Zealand – winding back its scheme, Russia – taking no further action, South Korea – delaying and The United States – not proceeding.”
“It will be a $9 billion per annum tax. It will increase power bills by 10 percent. It will increase gas bills by nine percent, and that is on Labor's own assessments.
“There will be higher marginal tax rates, there will be a huge impact on single-income families and two hundred and eighty thousand self-funded retirees will be worse off.”
“The Prime Minister may have been right when she said, 'There will be no carbon tax under a Government I lead,' because it is Senator Bob Brown and the Australian Greens that are actually leading this Government,” Senator Abetz said.
