July 6, 2011
The Prime Minister should make the Latrobe Valley her first destination if she is serious about fully explaining the impact of her carbon tax to regional Australians, according to The Nationals Member for Gippsland Darren Chester.
Latrobe Valley manufacturers and the power generation industry is set to be hit hard by the Gillard Government’s carbon tax. The Prime Minister will reveal the full details of the tax on Sunday.
The Prime Minister this week told Parliament: ”I will be wearing out my shoe leather literally around the country, making sure Australian families who want answers about the carbon pricing package get those answers.”
Mr Chester said the Prime Minister should be in the Latrobe Valley on Monday to face local power station workers, small business owners, farmers and their families who face an uncertain future in the region as a result of the proposed tax.
He also attacked the Labor Party in Parliament for doing a deal with the Greens that would cost jobs.
“The Prime Minister has done a deal with the Greens and with the independents but she has not done a deal with Latrobe Valley power station workers and she has not done a deal with the Australian people,” he told Parliament.
“This Prime Minister has not dealt with her fundamental breach of trust – ‘there will be no carbon tax under a government I lead’.
“What happened to your grand old party? You used to stand up for workers.”
Mr Chester said the only way for the government to have any legitimacy was to release the details of the carbon tax and let the voters decide at a fresh election.
“Voters were misled before the 2010 election and if the Prime Minister wants to be honest with Australian families about the impacts of her carbon tax she should start with the Latrobe Valley community on Monday,” he said.
“The government should commit to a full social and economic impact study to allow Latrobe Valley residents to evaluate what the costs will be and how many jobs will be lost under Labor’s carbon tax.”