Question Time – Impact of Carbon Tax on Canegrowers

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (14:05): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. I refer the minister to the report of Queensland cane growers that shows the carbon tax will cost the sugar industry in Queensland $20 million over three years, putting thousands of jobs at risk. How will the government reduce costs and save jobs by abolishing the carbon tax?

Mr JOYCE (New England—Minister for Agriculture and Deputy Leader of The Nationals) (14:05): I would like to thank Mr Pitt, who has won the seat of Hinkler after the very distinguished career of Mr Paul Neville. The problem we have is that over the other side of the chamber we have a very interesting group of people. Over the other side of the chamber we have government-change deniers—a government-change denier there and a government-change denier there. Some of them are not denying there is a change of government, some of them have got queries about a change of government, but generally they are government-change deniers. On a more sombre note, what we have in Queensland is the fact that we have thousands of people whose jobs are at risk because they are denying the change of government.

Opposition members interjecting—

The SPEAKER: Those on my left will cease interjecting.

Mr JOYCE: They are denying the mandate of the people. We have people in Queensland who are going to lose millions of dollars in the sugar industry because they deny the change of government

By reason of their denying the change of government, we have a situation where less money is getting back through the farm gate to the people of Hinkler, to the people of Dawson, to the people in the sugar industry. It is not just the sugar industry which is suffering this; it is also the cattle industry, it is the sheep industry and it is the grain industry. Remember, after these government-change deniers, the carbon tax, which was the essence of their government, will come into transport. Therefore, on everything we do, there will be a little legacy of these government-change deniers, unless they decide to accept the truth that the government has changed.