Tomorrow I will move a procedural motion that the carbon tax and mining tax repeal bills be put to a vote this week in the Senate.
Australians made their opinion on these taxes overwhelmingly clear at the federal election last September.
Labor must stop defying the very clear will of the Australian people and allow the repeal of the world’s biggest carbon tax and the failed mining tax to pass through the Senate.
Bill Shorten and Christine Milne are desperate to postpone the vote until after the Western Australian Senate election because they don’t want West Australian voters to know they intend to block the repeal of these two deeply unpopular taxes.
The ALP has conducted itself in a most undignified manner in the Senate by filibustering for months on the carbon tax repeal bills, which have been debated in the Senate since early December 2013. This has in turn delayed consideration of the mining tax repeal bill.
Coalition Senators are prepared to stay in Canberra for as long as it takes to abolish these job-destroying taxes.
We will do what is necessary to ensure the will of the people is given effect to.
My motion states that if these bills have not been put to a vote by the time the Senate is due to adjourn at 8pm on Thursday 20 March, that the Senate not adjourn and continue to sit until final consideration of these bills.
The Government calls upon the Opposition and the Greens to respect the will of the Australian people and vote to pass these bills.