Abbott challenges PM to carbon tax debate

12 Jul 2011, 7:43 am   -   Source: AAP
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Tony Abbott says the next election will be a 'referendum'. (AAP)

Tony Abbott says the next election will be a 'referendum'. (AAP)

Opposition leader Tony Abbott has challenged the prime minister to a national debate on the carbon tax, telling her to 'bring it on'.

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Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says a debate with the prime minister over the proposed carbon tax would make his day, telling Julia Gillard, "please, please, bring it on".

Mr Abbott said the tax was a bad deal for Australians, but one that should not be assumed to be a "done deal".

He said there was unhappiness in the Labor caucus over the deal, because it had the Greens' fingerprints all over it.

"There is a lot of unhappiness in the (Labor) caucus," Mr Abbott told the Nine Network on Tuesday.

"This is not a tax package that was approved by the caucus, it's a tax package that was approved by the Greens and the independents."

On Sunday, Ms Gillard announced a starting price of $23 per tonne of carbon will be placed on Australia's 500 biggest carbon polluters from July 1 next year.

She also announced tax cuts and pension rises to help nine out of 10 households cope with the rising cost of living that the tax would bring.

But tax cuts paid for by tax increases means the government will create a "money-go-round", Mr Abbott said.

"We believe in tax cuts, but we believe in genuine tax cuts, not tax cuts that are paid for by tax increases," he said.

"It's just a money-go-round."

Mr Abbott said the tax was a "dumb way" to reduce emissions and he welcomed a debate with the prime minister on the issue.

"Julia Gillard runs away from debate in the parliament every other day," he said.

"If she wants a debate, please, please, bring it on, make my day!"

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Your Comments

Dr

David - from Castlecrag, 2 years ago

Reducing smog would be the only value in any scheme, and the libs have the only scheme that might do that. Labor only knows how to tax and spend our money.

Who's really dumb here?

Oliver - from Perth, 2 years ago

Dumb way to reduce emissions? Isn't Tony taking the hint from economists that his way is even dumber?

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