Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

In respect of small businesses, an example was raised yesterday about electricity. The member is raising a different example with me today. Yes, for small businesses there will be some price impacts, but it is very important to keep a sense of scale here and also the ability of businesses with these price impacts to pass them on to consumers who are receiving the benefits of tax cuts, family payment increases and pension increases. Yesterday we had a lot of fear raised about electricity and small businesses. The Council of Small Businesses of Australia has advised the relevant minister, Minister Combet, that the electricity cost of a typical small retail business makes up less than two per cent of total costs and, if you work that all the way through, the Council of Small Businesses says that the typical small business power bill will increase by around $5 per week. On refrigerant gas costs, as the member would probably know, these are only used intermittently, not as a continuous cost.

Opposition members interjecting—

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