MATTERS OF URGENCY
Senator McDONALD (Queensland—Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate) (16:25): This is another appalling day for Australia, when we have socialists running trying to run an agenda. The absolute rubbish that was just spoken is frightening, because on so many counts we are hearing mistruths or outright lies about what is happening in Australia's tax centres.
There are some claims that we don't have royalties on gas or that we don't tax gas companies and coal companies. What I would really like the Greens political party and other independents to do is stand up and tell us where the funding comes from to run these outrageous give-us-our-fair-share campaigns. They come from people who want to end the coal and gas industries in Australia.
Why can't they be honest about that? This is not about a tax campaign. This is about ending fossil fuels in Australia.
And when they're honest about that and tell every Australian who's employed by gas and coal companies and every Australian who benefits from the $65 billion that comes in from coal, gas and other mining companies, and when they are honest with Australians about what their real agenda is, then we'll have a proper discussion. But every time you hear them say, 'We want our fair share,' know that this is an agenda run by people who want to see Australians poorer.
This is an agenda run by people who want to see the end of energy security for this country and for many of our trading partners. This is an agenda that is dangerous. And when we have the conversation about whether or not this money is coming from offshore activists—or, worse, state owned actors who are against Australia's best interests—when we have an honest conversation about who is paying the EDO's fines in the Tipakalippa case and when we have an honest conversation about who's funding the Australia Institute, and IEEFA and the campaigns that get behind Punter's Politics, then we can talk about what tax policy should be in this country.
But this is a dangerous campaign. It is about ending fossil fuels in this country, and it will see Australia left with the lights off and with no tax income at all, because it is these industries that pay the bills in this country. It is these industries that ensure that we have a wonderful medical health system.
It is these industries that ensure that we have the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and great infrastructure, health services and education services. Be clear: without that, there is no replacement. We are not going to be funding Australia's first-class medical services with the NDIS or with the caring economy.
We are not going to be funding it with students from overseas. We are not going to be funding our first-world economy without fossil fuels and the resources sector more broadly. I am sick of this campaign, and I'm sick of Australians being lied to.
Instead, what the Greens political party will do is stand up and tell you how they've spent the money before they've done one thing to support mining and resources in Australia, to support every Australian who earns double the national average salary or to support all the environmentalists who work on gas, oil, coal and other mining projects, who are mapping Australia's biodiversity, fauna and flora.
They will do nothing for all of those people apart from see them go out of work and see no development in this country at all. I am sick of the lies. I'm sick of the lack of real-world reality.
As a country, as a government, as parties of opposition, we should stand together and say we will not put up with this rubbish anymore because it will see Australia worse off. It will leave every person who believes in Australia worse off. And I'm sick of the lies about where the money actually comes from that funds these campaigns.
Where does the money come from? The EDO wouldn't tell us. They took a $9 million donation that they didn't disclose, in order not to tell us.