Abbott government’s carbon tax repeal legislation passes through the lower house

THE Government’s carbon tax repeal legislation has passed through the Lower House — and this time Clive Palmer’s party supported it.

The Government’s carbon tax repeal legislation has passed through the Lower House — and this time Clive Palmer’s party supported it.

The repeal legislation, with Mr Palmer’s amendment, passed the Lower House just before 6pm.

It will now move to the Upper House for the third time.

The Government reintroduced the legislation into the House of Representatives for the third time today.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt told Parliament he would move amendments which have been agreed to with the Palmer United Party.

They will ensure power and gas companies pass on cost savings, or face a fine of 250 per cent of what “they don’t pass on”.

Companies will also have to inform customers how they are delivering price reductions.

“Already strong protections are being further strengthened,” Mr Hunt said.

Clive Palmer and his fellow PUP Senators thwarted the government’s attempt to pass repeal legislation at the eleventh hour last Thursday.

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Mr Hunt said the Coalition worked “very constructively” with Mr Palmer over the weekend to reach agreement on his key amendment, to force power companies to pass on price cuts.

“There is an additional amendment which has been proposed and on which we have provisional agreement with the Palmer United Party, which adds extra enforcement in the case of electricity and gas,” Mr Hunt said this morning, ahead of a meeting with the PUP leader.

“Very hopeful and expectant” ... Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt believes the carbon tax will be axed.

The Minister claimed he was “very hopeful and expectant” the tax will be gone by the end of the week, before Parliament breaks for winter.

But he was unable to give a guarantee it would happen.

“I am prepared to pledge that we will not stop, never stint, never fail, in our determination up till it is gone,” he said.

Clive Palmer told Parliament this afternoon his party will back the repeal legislation and the amendment it has agreed on with the government.

“We must stand on the right side of history,” the PUP Leader said in a largely empty House of Representatives after Question Time.

Mr Palmer said Australian families cannot solely bear the burden.

“Acting alone Australia cannot change the world,” he added.

Palmer United Senators will move later in the week to establish a dormant emissions trading scheme, he foreshadowed.

It would only come into force when Australia’s trading partners take similar action.

Earlier in the day Mr Palmer had refused to spell out his position after leaving a morning meeting with his Senators and Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party’s Ricky Muir.

Vote may be crucial ... Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party Senator Ricky Muir.

Just after midday the Leader of the House Christopher Pyne tried to suspend standing orders to bring on the repeal legislation in the Lower House.

They should be dealt with “expeditiously”, he argued.

Labor’s Mark Butler criticised the government for last week’s antics, claiming they couldn’t “organise a pig to be dirty”.

Fifty three per cent of those surveyed in the latest Newspoll, published in The Australian, said they wanted the carbon tax scrapped.

Thirty five per cent wanted it to remain, while 12 per cent were uncommitted.

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