Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I take great pleasure to rise in this consideration in detail stage of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (Abolition) Bill 2013, take 2. It is take 2 because this bill has already been to this House. It was debated in this House and it was passed on 21 November last year, and we did so to meet one of our election commitments. The coalition went to the last election with a very clear policy that we would abolish the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. We did so on the clear basis that we do not support taking $10 billion of taxpayers' money, actually borrowing $10 billion of taxpayers' money, putting the government further and further in debt, to spend on projects that the private sector has deemed too risky.

We heard the opposition leader in this chamber this morning whingeing about the government keeping our promises. But he, with his senators hand in hand with the Greens, has prevented the coalition government from keeping our promises. We know that the previous Labor government broke promise after promise. We know what they did on the carbon tax. In 2010 they went to the election with the then Prime Minister promising there would be no carbon tax under the government she led. Of course, they broke that promise. Then in 2013, only last year, they went to that election making out to the Australian public that they had abolished, terminated, the carbon tax. And now they come in here and whinge about the government not keeping our promises when we are keeping our promises in this House, the bill goes over to the Senate and they reject it. That is why we are here today.

I have heard many of the speakers on the other side and I see the good member for Rankin and the good member for Scullin over there ready to speak on this consideration in detail. I am sure one of the points they might raise is how wonderful this Clean Energy Finance Corporation has been and how it is actually making money for the government.

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