Senator Eric Abetz

Senator Abetz: Last night the Commonwealth Ombudsman was before the Senate Estimates Committee. He quite rightly apologised for that which he had done and accepted that it was an error of judgement. However what we didn’t have time to explore last night was the reason that he actually did it. The reason is that he has got a burgeoning work load. Where from? From the out of control borders that Australia is suffering from courtesy of Labor’s bungled border protection policy. Clearly his difficulties are in relation to irregular maritime arrivals where he himself indicated that when he first was given the task of looking at detainees in detention centres, there were about 100 people arriving by boat per-annum, it is now out past 4000 per-annum, the latest figures he gave to the Senate Estimates Committee.  Clearly he has got a workload that is way beyond that for which he is funded for, which I think indicates yet again how Labor is great with the headlines, willing to say ‘we’ll let the Ombudsman come in to look after detainees’ but then not provide the funding to enable that to happen. Also can I say in relation to the Ombudsman I don’t think he was partisan in what he was doing. Unwise? Yes. Partisan? No. Because one of the architects of the Ombudsman’s difficulties is in fact Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and the Australian Greens’ policy in relation to border protection.

Journalist: We are hearing today that ten asylum seekers children have gone missing from community detention. Is this another sign that Labor is not controlling the system properly?

Senator Abetz: I have not yet heard of that story but if that is the case then clearly Labor has to answer how this occurred, why this occurred and why is their system failing yet again in this area.

Journalist: Is the Opposition to blame for creating business uncertainty when it comes to investing in renewable projects?

Senator Abetz: Absolutely not. The Coalition has got the most certain policy and that is NO Carbon TAX. Indeed there was certainty at the last election where both Major Parties’s had identical policy, NO Carbon Tax. It is Labor who has created the uncertainty by having perpetrated this deceit on the electorate and now perpetuating it after the election by introducing a Carbon Tax which they promised they wouldn’t do. A Government that has lost the faith of the Australian people cannot be relied upon to provide any certainty in any area. And those businesses that are now saying we need the certainty of a Carbon Tax under Labor, how do they know, if polls change or something else happens, or another Independent pops up with another request, that Labor won’t do a back flip on Carbon Tax, just as much as they did after the election.

Journalist: So are those companies being irresponsible by suggesting that they will have to increase their power prices if there is no Carbon Tax, or a certainty of a Carbon Tax?

Senator Abetz: It is one of those bizarre things and I would like them to explain, if the Carbon TAX is such a good thing and they have to increase their prices in the absence of a Carbon TAX one assumes they would want the Carbon TAX doubled and trebled so they’d get two or three times the benefit. Now nobody’s arguing that and that is of course where the logic falls down. There are clearly some people who will benefit from a Carbon TAX but overwhelmingly the Australian people and in particularly small businesses will be the losers.

Journalist: In a few weeks it’s likely to pass the Senate. Next year it will become law. The Government says businesses need to comply with the law and buy these permits, but you’re telling them not to. Are you telling them to break the law?

Senator Abetz: No, as I understand the situation they will be buying permits in anticipation of that which might apply in the future, so that would be a speculative purchase and we as a Coalition are saying that if we are given the privilege of governing this country we will do that which the Australian people want and that is repeal the Carbon TAX. And we expect Labor to join with us and respect the mandate if we were privileged in being given the mandate by the Australian people.

Journalist: Would you like to see the redundancy payments for MP’s who lose their seats doubled?

Senator Abetz: Look I’m not going to go into that situation, I’m under the old scheme. We have an independent group of individuals looking at that which is fair and reasonable and I will let them make the determinations.