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Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Page: 11513

Mr CHRISTENSEN (Dawson) (22:33): The amendment before us is to let the people have a say on this carbon tax by postponing it until after an election. I want to highlight some of the people who have not been able to have a say and really want to have a say. These are people from my electorate. Sallyann Pottinger from Shoal Point says if the carbon tax goes ahead she will never vote for Labor again. Mary Old from Mackay says the government does not have a mandate from the people for this. Dianne Worthington of Seaforth says she will never vote for Labor again if this tax goes through. Rob Geisler of Shoal Point, a Labor voter of 29 years, will not be voting for Labor again if the tax goes through. Susan Griffin says this will not do anything to improve our carbon footprint, but will affect our wallets. Dianne Pulfer of Slade Point says no to the carbon tax. Rodney Barrett of Bowen says that this is all pain and no gain. Leslie Cuthbert of Glenella says no to the carbon tax. Michael Smith of Dolphin Heads does not support a carbon tax. David Drage of Mount Pleasant says no to the carbon tax. Glenn McGrath, a builder from Mackay, says the Labor government needs to go sooner rather than later because of this carbon tax. Peter Harding of Mackay says, 'Don't let them waste more of our money' with this carbon tax. Robbie Morris of Glenella calls it another useless Labor tax. Pat O'Shea from Balnagowan disagrees with this proposed carbon tax. Paula McInnes of Andergrove says that people cannot afford this carbon tax. Joe Dance of Mount Julian says that this tax is 'a crime against humanity'—a bit poetic, but I agree. Elizabeth Taylor of Calen says that the Prime Minister is not listening to the people. The Van Lint family of Balnagowan say no to the carbon tax. Nigel Rack of Mackay says this has nothing to do with climate change.

Honourable members interjecting—

The SPEAKER: Order! It is not very helpful for others to be interjecting. I remind the member for Dawson that there has been a discussion about relevance to the debate. I ask him to refer his remarks to the question before the chair and for all members to be on their best behaviour. They have seen what can happen very quickly. The member for Dawson has call.

Mr CHRISTENSEN: Mr Speaker, these people are very relevant to this debate because these people want to have a say and so far they have not had a say.

The SPEAKER: The member for Dawson will not take on the chair. The chair has already been taken on once tonight and we saw the result of that. The question before the chair is the consideration in detail about the amendment. The member for Dawson has plenty of opportunity to relate the remarks of his constituents to those amendments, but this is a debate that he could have had in the second reading. The member for Dawson has the call.

Mr CHRISTENSEN: The fact is that the people of this country have not had a say in this. The government does not have a mandate. This amendment seeks to give the people a say by having an election before this tax is adopted. As someone who sat on the Joint Select Committee on Australia's Clean Energy Future Legislation, I know that there is a groundswell of support for our proposition and against this carbon tax proposal by the government.

I have with me a rather weighty document. It is all of the submissions given to the carbon tax inquiry, but that were knocked back by the carbon tax inquiry. Some 4½ thousand people who sought to have their say were simply ruled as correspondents only. So the government have form on this in not giving people a say. Today they have two opportunities. I seek leave to table this document and have it included in Hansard.

Leave not granted.

Mr CHRISTENSEN: A simple thing like that rejected just goes to show that the government do not want the people of this nation to have their say on the carbon tax. They have no mandate for this, absolutely none at all and I have plenty more submissions from people in my electorate who are outright opposed and say that this government does not have a mandate. They should have accepted the tabling of this document but they do not want to because they do not want people to have a say.

The government should accept this amendment that we are proposing because it gives them a mandate. They currently do not have one and they must sit here very ashamed when they vote tomorrow, knowing deep in their hearts that the Prime Minister said that there will be no carbon tax under the government that she leads, the government which are now voting to accept this disgraceful tax against the wishes of the people.