Senator MARK BISHOP (Western Australia) (15:06): We have just listened to Senator Cash for five minutes. Not once did she go beyond the utterance of cliche or homily—all screeched out there for five minutes without taking a breath and without saying one word of sense. Let us consider a little bit of history. Let us go back in history a little to when the first Howard government was elected in 1996. Since that time, from 1996 until now, there have been three significant packages of legislation introduced into this parliament. Two were introduced by the Howard government and one is about to be introduced by this government. The three packages are the GST legislation, the Work Choices legislation and the government's proposed carbon tax legislation. Each of those packages of legislation goes to one critical factor: it seeks to alter behaviour. In the case of the GST, it sought to alter spending behaviour. In the case of Work Choices, it sought to radically change the use of labour to make it cheaper. In the case of the clean air package, outlined by the government and shortly to be introduced, it goes to changing the behaviour of energy producers and users in this country. In the case of the GST, any compensation that was offered by the government of the day had to be dragged out bit by bit. Households and families were significantly worse off, as the then government acknowledged, but it had to be done for the good of the country. Of course with the Work Choices legislation it was just about removing protections and benefits. Untold people were harmed, and their retribution was visited in the election of 2007. With the clean air package we acknowledged at the outset that there is going to be some impact on prices. It is going to affect those who are employed, it is going to affect families and it is going to affect those most in need. So what have we done from the outset? We have acknowledged that—we have been saying it for 12 months—and we have designed and will implement a comprehensive package of household assistance measures— Senator Bernardi: Twelve months ago you said you didn't want a carbon tax. Senator Cash: How will that change their behaviour? Senator MARK BISHOP: that go to helping those most in need, as Senator Cash and Senator Bernardi well know. They have been out there for the last month or six weeks speaking to pensioner groups, speaking to community groups, speaking to those affected, and they have received the same message that every Labor senator across this chamber has, which is that the package of compensation offered by the government to households in need—those earning under $80,000—to self-funded retirees and to pensioners and others in receipt of welfare assistance is much sought after, much appreciated and, when explained in a calm, rational fashion, not only appreciated but desired. What does it do? It gives more than adequate compensation to those household units that are going to be affected. As Senator Wong and others said in response to questions during question time, nine out of 10 households in Australia will receive some form of assistance. Almost every household in Australia is going to receive assistance in terms of the implementation of the carbon price package. Senator Nash: You're admitting they're going to get slugged with costs. Senator MARK BISHOP: Of those households, almost six million—and a lot of them in rural areas with well below average incomes, Senator Nash—will get assistance that meets or exceeds the expected average price impact. Senator Nash: How are you going to do it when we get to an ETS? Senator MARK BISHOP: So all those lower house seats that the National Party holds up there in New South Wales and people like you, Senator Nash, who are elected by people in those electorates, low-income electorates almost without exception, will be protected. The economic interests of the people in those electorates are going to be advanced because this government is going to give some of those six million households—some of those that elect you—assistance that meets or exceeds the expected average price impact. But it gets better than that. Over four million households, almost half of all households across Australia, will get assistance that provides a 20 per cent buffer over and above their expected average price impact. In terms of change and the impact it is going to have, you could not ask for a more beneficial approach by a government, across Australia. It is a package of benefits designed to assist and advance the interests of those most in need.