Australians concerned about Julia Gillard’s carbon tax must ‘speak now or forever hold their peace’, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today.
It follows the Government-imposed deadline of today for the receipt of submissions to its shotgun inquiry into its carbon tax legislation.
“In allowing just six days to make submissions on 19 bills totalling more than 1100 pages, the Gillard Government has thumbed their nose at the same Australians denied a vote on whether or not to have a carbon tax,” Senator Birmingham said today.
“Rather than totally ‘holding their peace’, the Coalition encourages concerned Australians to continue to be heard through until the next election, but today is the last chance for views to be noted firsthand on the Parliamentary record.
“Julia Gillard knows Australians don’t want this tax, which will cost jobs, drive up prices and hurt the economy, but will not reduce Australia’s carbon emissions. Julia Gillard is in denial of the facts and clearly doesn’t want the Australian people to have their say.
?”Despite Labor making it as hard as possible for Australians to have their say on her carbon tax, I again urge Australians to make their views known by lodging a submission, no matter how brief.
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“Written submissions must be received by today, Thursday 22 September. They can be emailed to jscacefl@aph.gov.au.
?”Having got into bed with the Greens, Labor is already denying Australians a vote on whether or not they bring their carbon tax into the world.
“With Julia Gillard having tried to apply the silencer to her shotgun inquiry, Australians must ‘speak up now or forever hold their peace’ … at least so far as the parliamentary debate is concerned.”