TIME FOR HUNTER MPS TO CHOOSE:
CONSTITUENTS OR COLLEAGUES?

Bob Baldwin, Member for Paterson has called on his fellow Hunter MPs to put their constituents ahead of their colleagues during tomorrow’s vote on the Labor/Greens carbon tax package.

“Labor MPs Jill Hall, Sharon Grierson, Greg Combet, Joel Fitzgibbon and Independent Rob Oakeshott have one day left to keep faith with their electorates and vote against Julia Gillard’s carbon tax in Parliament,” said Mr Baldwin.

“It is time that local Labor MPs stood up for the thousands of steel, mining and aluminium workers in their electorates who will face unemployment under this bad tax.

“It is also time they stood up for the families who will pay more for everything from electricity to groceries for this bad tax – rather than blindly following the Party line.

“Both the Coalition and Labor agree that we need a 5 per cent reduction in 2000 CO2 levels by 2020, but we differ greatly on the strategy.

“A tax will do absolutely nothing to help the environment, but it will send jobs and investment offshore,” said Mr Baldwin.

Mr Baldwin reminded the Hunter’s Labor MPs that they went to the 2010 election on a promise of no carbon tax.

“Julia Gillard said ‘there will be no carbon tax under the government I lead’ and tomorrow local MPs will have the chance to vote against the tax that the Prime Minister promised we wouldn’t have,” said Mr Baldwin.

“There is a better way. The Coalition’s Direct Action plan will reduce carbon emissions by 5 per cent by 2020 without a new tax, without an increase in electricity prices, and without added costs to households.

“This Parliament has no mandate to introduce a carbon tax.”