Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency) Share this | Hansard source

This government is helping households make ends meet. In the electorate of Page, which my colleague, of course, represents extremely well, no fewer than 43,000 taxpayers will receive a tax cut from 1 July—tax cuts that the coalition opposes. There will also be in the electorate of Page no fewer than 12,700 people who receive increases in family assistance payments—payments that the coalition opposes. No fewer than 33,000 pensioners in the electorate of Page will receive an extra $338 a year if they are a single pensioner and an extra $510 a year if they are a pensioner couple. They will receive those increases next year, with $250 in advance flowing now for a single pensioner and $380 flowing now in an advance payment for a pensioner couple—and all of these increases are opposed by the opposition.

What does this mean in relation to some of the costs that people confront with the introduction of the carbon price? I spoke earlier about local government issues. In the Lismore City Council, for example, city council rates will go up by just 4c per person per week; and against that there will be an average of $10.10 per week in assistance. Their case is fiction. (Time expired)

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