Carr goes AWOL while Industry fights for survival

09-March-2011

It has been 13 days since Prime Minister Gillard forced the carbon tax on Australia but Industry Minister Kim Carr is silent and nowhere to be seen.

Manufacturers and other businesses are waiting for Mr Carr to justify another cost to running a business in Australia.

There was a time when Mr Carr made the effort and was interested about the concerns of Australian industry but, he now won’t even bother going through the motions. In Parliament he has admitted he hasn’t even asked his department to commission impact of the carbon tax.

On October 1 last year Mr Carr said:

"What industries are saying to us is they need two things - they need certainty for long-term investment and they need to know that an emissions trading scheme will not disadvantage them.

"Labor is committed to both of those things. We know climate change is a global problem – we won't help to tackle it by sending Australian jobs and investment offshore."

But manufacturers to whom I have spoken are saying that the only certainty is that electricity and other production costs will rise; that their import competition will be cheaper; and the Government will send jobs offshore.

“Mr Carr cannot abandon Australian industry by silently hiding behind Greg Combet’s droning monotony of nothingness,” said Sophie Mirabella, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science.

“Mr Carr, be man enough to come out from beneath your rock and face up to industry concerns,” Sophie concluded.