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Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Page: 5169

Senator NASH (New South Wales—Deputy Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) (13:26): I do appreciate, Minister, that, as you have just indicated, you think you have explained it clearly. Actually you have not answered a question or given the Senate chamber any information today that has been of any assistance whatsoever. I would hazard a guess that, running up to the last election campaign, many people were not aware of this. I note that you did indicate to the chamber that this has been explained fulsomely and that consultation has taken place. I am happy to accept that if you can tell me what has taken place. Perhaps, in the midst of this conversation that we are having here, some of the officials might be able to find out if Childcare Alliance Australia was consulted as part of the negotiations leading up to this piece of legislation coming into this chamber. I think it is very important, when we have an organisation that represents 70 per cent of long day care providers taking the time and going to the trouble to do the research from their perspective of what they feel the increased costs are going to be, that this chamber knows whether or not the views of that organisation have been taken into account by the minister. So I do not think that is too much of a stretch of a question for the minister. Perhaps, as I have said, the officials might be able to look into that while we are continuing to discuss this. But I will ask the minister one question, and I will get to it in just a moment.

I do note that you said 'we consulted with the Australian people prior to the last election on this'. That is very good. I suppose the question that most people would like to ask at this point in time is why on earth the government did not consult with the Aust­ralian people before the last election on a carbon tax. Apparently it is okay to go and consult with a sector and consult with a community in the knowledge that you took to the last election, as Senator Farrell has just informed us, the information that people needed to understand this piece of legislation, the Family Assistance Legis­lation Amendment (Child Care Budget Measures) Bill 2010. Apparently it is very important that consultation took place, because the minister has just told us about that, but what about consultation on a carbon tax? You do not think that might have been a little bit of a priority as well if perhaps the government thought that it should be consulting with the Australian people, as the minister, Senator Farrell, said was done before the last election on the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Child Care Budget Measures) Bill 2010? You do not think that theory would also apply to a carbon tax? I would say, colleagues, given that the minister has raised this issue, that I think it is very important that we ask the government if they pick and choose which particular pieces of legislation they are going to consult the Australian people about before an election.

Senator Birmingham: Pick and choose when they'll tell the truth.

Senator NASH: Thank you, Senator Birmingham—pick and choose when they will tell the truth. I find it extraordinary the minister can stand in parliament and say, hand on heart, that they have consulted with the Australian people on this piece of legislation. I appreciate the intent with which Minister Ellis said that, Senator Farrell, and I think it is a very good thing. I think prior to elections the people of Australia should be consulted on issues of importance that are going to impact them. I would say that this particular piece of legislation is one of them; it is going to hit the hip pockets of families around the country in terms of their childcare fees.

One wonders why the government did not ask the Australian people about a carbon tax. Perhaps before the last election the Prime Minister could have said: 'Yes, I'm going to bring in a carbon tax. Not only that, I'm going to tell the people before the election that I'm going to bring in a carbon tax, and I will consult with the people before I bring in a carbon tax.' That reminds me: the Prime Minister did indicate that nothing would go ahead on a carbon tax until rigorous consul­tation with the community had occurred. It is a bit unfortunate that that never happened. So I ask the minister what response, if any, there has been from the sector about the potential implementation of these measures.