Tony Abbott Doorstop - Union concern over Julia Gillard’s carbon tax; 2011-12 Budget

16/04/11

Subjects: Union concern over Julia Gillard’s carbon tax; 2011-12 Budget.

E&OE……………………….…………………………………………………………………

TONY ABBOTT:

I’m pleased that Paul Howes and other union leaders are now warning the Prime Minister against her carbon tax. The Prime Minister wasn’t listening to the people of New South Wales at the recent election. Perhaps she will listen to the union officials who put her into the top job. The thing that I can guarantee about the Coalition’s effective climate change plan is that it will not cost a single job because it will not involve a carbon tax. The thing that I can guarantee about the Coalition’s climate change plan is that it will not target the steel industry because it does not involve a carbon tax and I just think it’s very important that the Prime Minister should listen to the people who are at last expressing the concerns of Australians workers.

I’ve been visiting plants such as the BlueScope plant in Port Kembla that employs 5,000 workers. I’ve been visiting the OneSteel plant at Laverton in Victoria, which employs hundreds of workers. This is the manufacturing heartland of our country. If we want to be a country that keeps making things, we’ve got to heed the lesson of those workers and that is that this carbon tax is toxic. It is a toxic tax. Toxic for consumers, toxic for jobs and toxic for the manufacturing industry.

The other point I should make is that the Treasurer is today trying to soften up Australia for a budget which will be a product of his mistakes. He's making excuses for the Government. The fact is that if this Government hadn’t been on such a spending spree, it would not need to be tough on the Australian people. It’s because this Government couldn't be tough on itself, it now wants to be tough on the Australian people and let’s never forget that everyday, we are $100 million deeper in debt because of the spending spree of this Government.

QUESTION:

Do you think the Government’s plan will be dead in the water if it does not have the support of the unions?

TONY ABBOTT:

I think the important thing is that the unions are belatedly speaking up for the workers of Australia. For the last few weeks, I’ve been touring some of our blue chip manufacturing operations. The message that has been coming to me loud and clear is that if we impose a carbon tax here in Australia, we will export jobs to other countries and we will import emissions. We won’t improve the environment, but we will seriously damage the Australian economy.

QUESTION:

You say your plan, there won’t be any jobs lost. Can you guarantee it will be budget neutral?

TONY ABBOTT:

I can guarantee that the Coalition will produce more trees, better soils and smarter technology because we will spend about a billion dollars a year out of budget savings on reducing emissions.

QUESTION:

Is that budget neutral?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, our plan will be paid for out of budget savings. Over the forward estimates, our plan will cost $3.2 billion but we identified some $52 billion worth of savings over the forward estimates period.

QUESTION:

Have you had any specific talks with Paul Howes or the union members in regards to this?

TONY ABBOTT:

I’ve been visiting a lot of plants where a lot of Paul Howes’ members are employed. So I’ve been speaking to Paul Howes’ workers. They’ve been telling me that this tax is toxic and obviously they’ve been giving the same message to Paul Howes and I want to say that it’s good that at last we have union leaders who are speaking up for workers rather than defending a bad government.

QUESTION:

And have you had some specific talks with the steel industry?

TONY ABBOTT:

Obviously, I have been at steel plants, I have been talking to workers, I have been talking to managers. As I said, it’s good that we now have union officials who are speaking up for workers rather than making excuses for a bad government.

QUESTION:

Did you ever think that you and Paul Howes would be friends?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, I think that Paul Howes and I share deep concerns about the future of manufacturing in this country and even though he is a late convert to the cause, I welcome the fact that he is now speaking up on behalf of workers in manufacturing, speaking up on behalf of manufacturing jobs because if we want to be a country that makes things, we can’t go ahead with this carbon tax.

QUESTION:

Is this the last day you’ll be in your red budgie smugglers for the year? Until winter?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, I think, you’ve got to wear the right attire on the right occasions and when you are in a club swim for Queenscliff, you wear the Queenscliff uniform.

Ok? Thanks so much.