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

The minister has been so reluctant this morning—at one point he accused, I think, Senator Cameron of not asking genuine questions. I am not quite sure how one makes up a question. I am not sure which question Senator Cormann will answer, because he steadfastly refused to answer Senator Milne's questions. He did not answer the questions I put before, but let's us have a go; I will go back to the question that I asked him earlier today.

There are reports out this morning that ask, because of the government and Palmer United Party last-minute amendments done outside the chamber in the dead of night, what the regulatory burdens are that they are going to impose on small business in Australia. I asked that question this morning. It has not been answered. I saw filibustering and so on from the minister. He did anything but answer that question, and I put it directly to him. There is a new cost that has been imposed on businesses in the last 48 hours that they have not been consulted on. It is in the explanatory memorandum, and I have asked the government a question directly about that.

I also asked the government—and, with respect, I think Senator Cormann almost answered this question about an emissions trading scheme and gave examples of where in the past the government and indeed our now Prime Minister have supported an ETS—why he won't support Labor's amendments now. The response I got was: time has moved on. Yes, it has and there is much more science around now as to why we should support an emissions trading scheme and why an emissions trading scheme is the way forward.

The government is proposing, if it seriously will not consider Labor's amendments and the bills go through, a period where we will have absolutely nothing in place for big polluters in this country. The government and certainly Senator Cormann have not addressed that question.