Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I was listening very intently to my colleague across the chamber, the member for Page, about the importance, as she put it, of not delaying, of doing it right now, because it will increase costs at some point in the future. We know that this is simply based on a false assumption. It is based on the assumption that there is going to be a global consensus on carbon tax and on emissions trading schemes, and we know for a fact that this is not where the world is going. Let me tell you, while there may be some people in Page who might support you in this endeavour, I can certainly say that there are people in Higgins who do not. I know for a fact, because they have told me, that it is going to have a dramatic impact on their cost of living and on their way of life.

I went out to speak to my electorate specifically on this issue. Just as the Prime Minister said she was going to wear out her shoe leather speaking to everybody about this, I not only talked the talk but also walked the walk. I had a community forum in my electorate on 27 July and had around 200 people turn up. People spoke there about the cost of living going up and they asked the question: what is the global environmental gain from this carbon tax? Self-funded retirees without a Commonwealth health card stated that they would be dramatically worse off. They know that they will not receive any payments from the government. They know as well that payments simply will not keep up. They know that every time they turn on the light, open a fridge, wash their clothes or turn on the air conditioner a carbon tax is going to mean it will cost them more. This is going to affect over 285,000 Australians, many of whom are in my electorate of Higgins, who have sacrificed and saved to fund themselves in their own retirement.

During that forum that night I was also particularly struck by a very sobering dilemma faced by a small businessman, Mr Errol Mymin, the managing director of Timbermate Group, which manufacture and then export a unique product to 15 countries. He said, 'I make a 100 per cent locally made product of which 90 per cent is my raw material, and that is from Victoria.' He is already being hit by the high Australian dollar. He employs 18 people, 12 of whom are over the age of 50 years. He told the forum that the carbon tax and the 10 per cent hike in electricity will force him to consider relocating his business overseas. He expressed concern that many of the people that he employs would find it very difficult to get another job. He asked: how do you compensate people for the loss of a job? That is exactly the point—you cannot. He went on to say in an email to me, 'Comrade Combet'—who is sitting across the chamber here tonight—'refers to households, low earners and large polluters, but does no-one in Labor understand the people that will be hurt the most are the low-paid workers who will lose their jobs as they become too expensive and manufacturers move overseas?' That is the question that this government needs to answer.

On Saturday, 18 September, I spoke with many small businesses in my electorate of Higgins who specifically run their businesses in Koornang Road, Carnegie. The chicken shop owner told me about the impact that the increased electricity prices will have on his business. The cafe owner said that it would make it harder for him to employ people when he had to cut costs to absorb as much as he could before passing on those remaining costs to consumers. The florist spoke to me about the fact that she has never seen such bad business conditions and that the added impact of the government's carbon tax would finish many businesses off. And on and on it went.

But it is not just businesses, the people they employ and their families who are affected; it is also the services we use. I met with a not-for-profit hospital that has calculated that the carbon tax will increase its electricity bills by $345,000 per year. This hospital in my electorate of Higgins receives no compensation. It is not a multinational for-profit organisation. It is not a big polluter. It simply cannot absorb this cost. Imposing a carbon tax ultimately leads to one of three outcomes for this not-for-profit hospital: increased costs to patients, cuts to staff or both. People in business and the community understand the dangers of imposing a carbon tax. This government needs to understand the very real impact it will have on everyone's life here in Australia.

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