25-February-2011
Portfolio Media Releases
Topics: Julia Gillard’s bold faced carbon tax lie, Greens running the government, threat to Australian industry and jobs.
E&OE
NEIL MITCHELL:
Andrew Robb, good morning.
ANDREW ROBB:
Good morning Neil, how are you?
NEIL MITCHELL:
Ok. How are you going to play this?
ANDREW ROBB:
We are going to oppose it. It’s a betrayal. The prime minister is really there under false pretences. You will remember it was the eve of the election where she told what really was a bold faced lie about not introducing it in a government of hers. And it was done I think to have maximum effect politically and bow it’s been reversed because Bob Brown is effectively the deputy prime minister. We will oppose it very, very strongly.
NEIL MITCHELL:
OK, but I mean you’re on pretty shaky ground when you’re opposing it, objecting to dishonesty aren’t you, wasn’t it Tony Abbott some promises I wrote down, others are there to be broken and he broke a few. On tax in fact he broke a promise.
ANDREW ROBB:
We are not opposing it because of the dishonesty, but that will provide the context, that the Government and what they said about the tax can’t be trusted and the impact of the tax.
It was Penny Wong who not so long ago who said there was absolutely no point imposing a carbon tax domestically which results in emissions and production transferring internationally for no environmental gain.
That is a fact that Ross Garnaut said just recently that there is no Australian solution to climate change there is only a global solution.
This is the point, if we get too far ahead of the world, if we get ahead of the world, and remember Obama has said he won’t have a price on carbon, if we get ahead of the world, all we are doing, for a little country like this, is put a price on the things, many of the things we do best, we bring ourselves back to the field, we are less competitive and jobs and emissions will just be exported.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Ok, but the point still remains. If you talk about credibility, Tony Abbott said there would be no new taxes under me and went out and announced a new tax. So we are used to being lied to and conned by politicians, particularly on the issue of tax.
ANDREW ROBB:
Well put the fact that she has really capitulated because of the Greens. This is a political exercise to keep themselves in government, that’s what it is. Let’s call it for what it is. Put that aside though for a second and look at if this is in the interests of the country.
And we went to the last election, we had a big debate internally and decided this is not in the interests of the country in the lead-up to the last election and my strong view, and I had climate change for a year, and I ended up opposing it in the party room, and my strong view was if we move ahead of the world we are just crucifying a number of key industries; thousands of jobs and putting a cost on Australians, hundred-of-dollars in electricity charges and every other area for no good reason.
In fact we will make ourselves far less competitive and see industries like steel and aluminium and others all go overseas.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So is the party at one over this because Malcolm Turnbull’s always supported a carbon tax hasn’t he?
ANDREW ROBB:
Malcolm has, but the party is at one …
NEIL MITCHELL:
So Malcolm Turnbull now doesn’t support a carbon tax?
ANDREW ROBB:
Well, you don’t have 100 per cent of people agree with every decision taken within a party, but the 100 per cent of people accept the majority view within a party and in that sense the overwhelming majority of our party are strenuously opposed to Australia moving ahead of the world.
We are going to do something we’ve got a direct action plan which they don’t want to know about because the Greens don’t accept it. So whatever the Greens do they tug the forelock and are going with it to keep themselves in government.
This is a political exercise, it’s not in Australia’s interests, there are alternatives, we can do things to discourage emissions without having a great big new tax.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Thank you very much for speaking to us. Andrew Robb, Liberal Opposition front bencher.