Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I put questions forward this morning. Minister Cormann seems to be only answering questions from his own side. This morning he took as genuine a question from Senator Macdonald about which union had coverage on a particular worksite. What that had to do with Labor's ETS amendments is beyond my comprehension; I have no idea. It is not as if the Abbott government is any friend of trade unions; it certainly is not. I think Senator Cormann then invited some of the Labor senators present—or someone did—to answer that question for him.

Going back to Labor's ETS, I have asked very genuine questions. We are going to see, if these bills are passed, a period in Australia where we have nothing in place. That makes Australia an outlier country—a country that has been so progressive in terms of the sorts of legislation that we have put in place in the past, not just by Labor. Labor has led the way on progressive legislation, but conservative governments have on occasions risen and put in place good legislation. So we are going to be at least 12 months, who knows, without anything in place. If Labor's amendment is not accepted here today, we are delivering an absolute opportunity for the big polluters in our country just—

Debate interrupted.