Mr COMBET (Charlton—Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency) (15:10): I thank the member for Braddon for his question. When debating matters of national importance, such as carbon pricing and tackling climate change, it is important that governments and oppositions take account of the facts and base their argument on those and the evidence, not on fear. Since the government announced a framework for a carbon-pricing mechanism, the government has methodically undertaken analysis and modelling, presented evidence, prepared reports and consulted with stakeholders—all of which has shown that a carbon price is the most economically efficient and environmentally effective way of cutting pollution. In contrast, those opposite and their state colleagues in fact have mounted a political campaign that has been based on misrepresentation, misinformation and deceit, aimed at only one thing—inciting unfounded fear in the community about this issue. An article in today's Sydney Morning Herald reveals that, rather than engaging genuinely on climate change, those opposite have been told to parrot a series of untruths and distortions from this document: 'Carbon tax legislation talking points', which has been distributed amongst the opposition. They have been handed those talking points. I have looked through them and they are a classic exercise in deception. They claim, for example, that the government's modelling of the impact of a carbon price on families and on pensioners used a carbon price of $20 a tonne, not $23 a tonne, which is the starting price for the scheme. That is a lie, and they know it is a lie. The SPEAKER: The minister should be very careful in the way he couches allegations. Mr Pyne: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. We have been routinely required to withdraw such a claim in the past. I ask you to ask the minister to withdraw it. The SPEAKER: If the Manager of Opposition Business is seeking a withdrawal, the minister will withdraw. Mr COMBET: I withdraw, but it is clearly deceit because the modelling of the impact of a carbon price on households and on pensioners used a $23 carbon price, and that is well known. The talking points circulated by the opposition also claim that there will be 126,000 jobs lost as a result of a carbon price. That is another exercise in deceit. The Treasury modelling demonstrates clearly that there will be growth of 1.6 million jobs to the year 2020 under carbon pricing. The coalition's talking points also claim the government will spend $3.5 billion in taxpayers' funds to buy international carbon credits in the year 2020. That is a disgracefully misleading claim designed to foster the protectionist xenophobia that the Leader of the Opposition traffics in. The blatant misinformation does not stop there. It extends to the New South Wales Premier, Barry O'Farrell. He too has been caught out deliberately exaggerating the impact of a carbon price on public transport. Premier O'Farrell claimed not so long ago that public transport fares would increase by around 3.6 per cent. Now that we have access to the real New South Wales documents we find that his own modelling states that the impact will be less than 0.5 per cent. All that the Liberal Party and the National Party are prepared to engage in on this fundamental issue of economic and environmental reform is misinformation and deceit. It is time that the parliament passes this legislation and implements this important reform. The Australian people will see through the deception on the other side of this House.