Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Two years on and the carbon tax is a major breach of faith, when we were promised we would never have to pay. We all remember five days before the last election when Prime Minister Julia Gillard said 'there will be no carbon tax under a government I lead'. Well, we all know that now, in 2012, we have a carbon tax, a tax that is hurting all Australians. It is no scare campaign; it is absolute fact. All Australians, and indeed Territorians, are experiencing higher electricity prices, higher freight costs and higher refrigerant costs. All these costs are being passed on to consumers or being absorbed by the business operators themselves.

Businesses have told me of their increased operating costs, which the Prime Minister said they should just pass onto their consumers. My local business operators tell me that they cannot pass on all the costs to the consumers. These small business operators are not the big polluters. The Darwin City Council is not a big polluter, but it has had to increase its rates as a direct result of the carbon tax—more costs passed onto my constituents. This is on top of increased electricity prices, which were also passed on because of the carbon tax.

Those on the other side say that this is a scare campaign. Well, quite frankly, that is insulting to the people of Darwin and Palmerston who are bearing the costs of this carbon tax. As I have said, the carbon tax is affecting all Territorians, especially small-business operators—the backbone of the Territory. It is also community groups, the tourism sector, mining and pastoral industries what are starting to feel the pain of this toxic carbon tax. No big polluters on that list!

At the beginning of the carbon tax debate my colleague Senator Scullion and I both raised the issue of remoteness in the Territory and how the carbon tax would significantly impact us all because of the increased freight costs. The carbon tax, we say, is a tax on remoteness. It is a tax on Territorians; It is a tax on those who rely on freight for delivery of items. Freight companies have started to pass on extra costs, which have to be passed onto consumers. That means, if the companies do not absorb the increased costs, like the Prime Minister said they should, it will mean increased costs for Territorian consumers, not just the Territory business operators. There just does not seem to be any logic here.

In the past I have raised in this place practical and real examples of impacts to businesses in Darwin of the carbon tax. Examples included the cost of refrigeration gas, automotive air-conditioning re-gassing; local frozen water or ice producers and increases in gas costs and electricity costs. Fish NT cited the potential for five price increases for produce from the point of catch to the point of sale; a local business with several separate entities, including a croc farm, and the increase of costs derived from hikes in electricity and freight across all areas.

Then there are local business operator Top North Auto Air-conditioning, a small local business in Winnellie that confirmed with me today that their purchase price for auto gas has gone up276 per cent since the start of the carbon tax. A 276 per cent increase in there operating costs which has to be absorbed, or passed onto Territorians as the Prime Minister said.

What does this mean for Territorians? It means the cost of re-gassing your car in the Territory has just gone through the roof as a result of the carbon tax. Everyone knows that you cannot drive around Darwin and Palmerston in a non-air-conditioned car—well, you can, but it would be very uncomfortable! So there are more increased costs.

Failed Labor government policies have also made it very expensive to live in Darwin, and the carbon tax is making it worse. But Territorians decided a few weeks ago that they did not trust Labor, so they voted them out. At least now Territorians know that they have a Country Liberal government and a coalition opposition here that are absolutely opposed to the carbon tax and we will do everything they can to repeal the carbon tax should we elected in the next federal election, whenever that will be. Thank you.

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