Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I apologise.

The Senator also spoke about what continues to be one of the major problems facing us which was alluded to by Senator Bacik in her call for a climate change Bill. What we are experiencing in the economy is unfortunately sidelining what is still the most important global issue about which not much is being done. It is still the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government's intention to present a climate change Bill to coincide with the Copenhagen conference in December and that both Houses will have an opportunity to discuss it.

Senator Healy Eames criticised the second home levy. I am not sure what can be done in this regard. We need to expand the base of local government finance. I expect that when the Commission on Taxation speaks about broader reforms in terms of taxes on property that the Opposition will react in a similar knee-jerk fashion and what we need to do to broaden our tax base will become even harder as a result.

Senator Healy Eames's point about the car industry needs to be addressed in a wider debate. I am not too sure why she believes we have an indigenous car industry. We do not make cars but import them. It is a retail industry.