THE Greens-Labor agreement, if Labor forms a minority government, would be a disaster for rural Australia, Liberal MP for Hume Alby Schultz believes.
Not content to stay quiet after putting the Coalition in hot water for allegedly threatening New England rural independent Tony Windsor late last month, and then allegedly attacking Western Australian National Terry Crook after he said he would sit on the cross-benches, Mr Schultz said the alliance should “send a shiver down the spine of everyone in regional Australia”.
“If such a Labor-Green beast forms government, rural and regional electorates will be threatened by Greens policies such as an even bigger mining tax, a giant new emissions trading scheme also imposed on agriculture, an end to recreational fishing in many marine areas, an open door policy on boat arrivals, and an end to coal extraction and other mining,” he said.
Throsby Greens candidate Peter Moran, who took almost 12 per cent of the vote – taking small chunks out of the major parties, said Mr Schultz was continuing the fear campaign run by the Coalition during the election.
“The deal between the Greens and Labor offers many first steps, things such as a debate in Parliament about Afghanistan and a study of the viability of high-speed rail,” he said.
“These are not issues that hold any fears for rural and regional Australians.”
Impending Throsby Labor MP Stephen Jones said Wednesday’s announcement wasn’t a big surprise and Melbourne Greens MP Adam Bandt had made clear he would side with the Labor Government before August 21.
He said the Greens signed up with Prime Minister Julia Gillard because Labor had a track record on the issues the Greens hold dear.
“We agree on climate change and real action on it. Alby and his party do not believe in it,” he said.
Mr Schultz said agriculture would be decimated.
“There will be food and fibre shortages as the Greens pursue their policies to end intensive agriculture and stop irrigation in the Murray Darling Basin,” he said.
“In Labor’s first Budget, $1 billion was slashed from regional programs. In the second, even more was cut. Labor wanted to impose an emissions trading scheme upon us and in its third Budget, Labor gave us a mining tax.”
Mr Moran accused Mr Schultz of misrepresenting Greens policies.
“There is no reference to agricultural practices in the deal, therefore they are not covered by the deal,” he said. “
Yet Mr Schultz falsely claims it is Greens policy to end intensive agriculture and coal mining and raises the spectre of this being in the deal.
“It is these sort of scare tactics and negative messages that prompted record numbers of Australians to turn to the Greens.”
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