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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-06-12 Daily Xml
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CARBON TAX

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (14:38): My question, again, is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Will the minister confirm whether we will pay more carbon tax as a result of the government's decision to suspend the rail electrification project?

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:38): Firstly, whenever someone suggests 'will you confirm', they are putting an argument. I just point that out. Can I say this, too, 'will we'—can I be clear who you mean by 'we'?

Ms Chapman: It's you.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: 'You', not 'we'.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: 'Will the government'—the truth is that the government is likely to pay more carbon tax on those things that produce more carbon. So, given that our electrical generation has a very low carbon footprint, and that given diesel would be higher, we probably would pay more on diesel trains, and that, can I say, is the whole point.

We actually believe in the environment, we believe in the future of our children, and we believe in the state. We believe you should pay more for carbon. We believe it is a very important thing to change the behaviour of governments and of people. If we are going to be hanged for believing that we need to get to a carbon constrained future, then so be it, but that is what we believe. We have put it out there before. We have put it out there again. We believe in a lower carbon future because we think it is the only thing that responds intelligently to all of the science we have.

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