Senator WATT (Queensland) (15:36): I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Finance (Senator Birmingham) to a question without notice asked by Senator Gallagher today relating to climate change policy. In question time today we again saw how hopelessly divided this government is on the question of action on climate change. In observing the government during the answers that Senator McKenzie gave to a series of questions, and then Senator Birmingham as well, what was patently clear was the chasm that stands not just between the National Party and the Liberal Party but within elements of the National Party and elements of the Liberal Party. I notice Senator Scarr is sitting there, ready to have his turn speaking. I'm sure that Senator Scarr, someone who would regard himself as a modern Liberal, would probably be horrified to hear the views of the other two Liberals who are in the chamber, let alone those of Senator Rennick, the one whom they all want to disown. The reaction on the faces of Liberals was there as they had to listen to Senator McKenzie bang on and on and ramble all around the countryside about the Nationals' position on net zero emissions and climate change. It's no wonder that so many Liberals regard the National Party as the mad uncle who turns up to Christmas lunch. They are so embarrassed by their National Party coalition partners and the resistance that they have put in place year after year to taking action on climate change and to grabbing the economic opportunities and the jobs that await a country like Australia. What has become clear over the last few days, and was reinforced in question time today, is that the National Party has become the antijobs party of Australian politics. For years they've been going around crowing and saying how much they care about jobs in regional Australia, ignoring the fact that they have cheered on big mining companies who have casualised their mining workforces and brought in labour hire in droves, undermining wages and undermining working conditions. They are a bit sensitive about casualisation. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Scarr: Deputy President, on a point of order: on many occasions you have correctly brought me to order, in terms of this section of business, to make sure that I have confined my remarks to the actual answers to questions, which is the subject of this section. I note that there was no discussion of casualisation of the workforce in the mining industry or of some of the other matters that Senator Watt is touching upon, so I ask you to bring him to order. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Scarr. As you know, this is a broad-ranging debate. I have been listening carefully. I will remind Senator Watt to take note of the answers given by Senator Birmingham to questions put to him by Senator Gallagher. Senator WATT: We are always interested to see how sensitive Liberal and National senators from Queensland are when their selling out of mining workers through casualisation and labour hire is raised. And here comes Senator Canavan, the biggest sellout of the lot—the man who likes to raid his fancy-dress drawer, put on his coalminer clothes, smear a bit of dust on his face and come down to Canberra and sell out those very coalminers by backing in the big mining companies over casualisation and labour hire year after year. Senator Canavan and the National Party are so worried about jobs in regional Queensland that they have assisted the big coalmining companies to casualise their workforce and bring in labour hire year after year, and they do nothing about it. Senator Gallagher's question to Senator Birmingham was all about the cost of the LNP's plan for dealing with climate change. We already know that that cost involves the thousands of jobs which have already been lost across regional Queensland and regional Australia as a result of this government's failure to put forward policies about climate change and renewable energy. We already have seen thousands of jobs that should be going into places across regional Queensland be sent offshore by the National Party because they just can't come to grips with the present, let alone the future. And we've learned over the last few days, from comments from various National Party members, that that is not the limit of the cost of the LNP's climate change plan. It's not good enough for the LNP to send thousands of jobs offshore rather than see them grow in regional Queensland and regional Australia; they also want to put in place a $250 billion coal fund. They want to give mining companies $250 billion of taxpayers' money to prop them up. These are profit-making companies to whom they want to give $250 billion worth of taxpayers' funds. That is $10,000 for every man, woman and child in Australia that they want to hand over to big profit-making mining companies. Senator Canavan wants to impose a mortgage tax on every Australian rather than do something positive about creating jobs through renewables. He's been reported in the media as saying, 'If we just have to jack up mortgages by a few percentage points that's not a big price to pay.' He wants every man, woman and child in Australia to pay more for their mortgages—and again, Senator Scarr is embarrassed by his National Party colleagues— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Watt. Senator Scarr, on a point of order? Senator Scarr: In fact, I'm very enamoured with my National Party colleagues—far from embarrassed! Once again, there was no discussion in terms of taxes on mortgages in question time, and I ask you to bring Senator Watt to order, or the debate will be extremely broad ranging over the course of the next 45 minutes. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Scarr. The question was about net zero, and Senator Watt is talking broadly about climate change and net zero. So he is still within the scope of the question. Senator WATT: Again, we know the Liberals are sensitive to the National Party's crazy ideas. Finally, we've learned in the last couple of days that the Nationals want to have a $20 billion rort fund. They've already got the spreadsheets drawn up in Senator McKenzie's office; they're ready to go, colour coded and all! It's rorts, mortgage taxes, coal funds and jobs lost across Queensland. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Canavan, are you seeking a point of order? Senator Canavan: I was, but it's a little redundant now. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Then please resume your seat. Senator Canavan: I do make a point of order, and draw your attention to— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Canavan, please resume your seat, thank you.