by Mat Churchill

The Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Tourism, Bob Baldwin and Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch, have challenged Julia Gillard to call an election on the back of the proposed carbon tax.

In an issue which has been dominated by political bickering, Mr Baldwin said a carbon tax would harm the tourism industry.

“Labor’s carbon tax won’t clean up the environment, but it will clear out airport arrival halls,” Mr Baldwin said.

“The tourism industry is doing it tough and local operators and their employees deserve a government committed to helping, not hindering its recovery.

“As I’ve met with tourism operators in Cairns to discuss how we can help get the industry back to its best they’ve told me they can’t understand why Ms Gillard wants to make matters worse by putting another tax on their industry.."

Asked who these tourism operators were a spokesperson for Mr Baldwin said permission would need to be given from the operators for them to be named.

“Labor says Australia’s top 50 polluters will wear the brunt of Ms Gillard’s carbon tax.  Well at number 22 is Qantas and at number 42 is Virgin Australia and between them they carry 91% of the tourists around Australia and both fly into Cairns,” said Mr Baldwin.

“Airlines, especially in the leisure market, don’t have the capacity to simply absorb the cost of Labor’s carbon tax and it will be passed on to the travelling public in the Far North,” said Mr Entsch.

“In the last few days we have seen the release of a research report that shows what the consequence of Labor's carbon tax will be – 6,400 jobs lost in the tourism industry, and the Far North will be one of the hardest hit regions due to its heavy reliance on the industry,” said Mr Entsch.

Speaking from Thursday Island, Cook MP Jason O'Brien accused the LNP of running a fear campaign over the carbon tax.

"People should ignore the fear campaign being spread by the LNP, especially as it wasn't that long ago that Tony Abbott was advocating a carbon tax.

"We all know that change in the way we create and use energy is vital if we are to prevent rising sea levels and protect the Great Barrier Reef," he said.

"The LNP wants to ignore the science and play politics but the carbon tax is a necessary change to help protect the environement that just about all businesses and workers in Port Douglas rely on for their incomes."