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

passed through to small businesses, particularly in the form of an increase in electricity, and we have talked very clearly with the Australian community about us predicting a 10 per cent increase in household electricity bills, for example—an increase of $3.30 a week on average—and that is why we have provided assistance of $10.10 a week on average. To the small business involved, I would therefore say that that small business is dealing with consumers who have received tax cuts, family payment increases and pension increases because our anticipation was that small businesses would pass these modest price impacts on. When we are talking about modest price impacts, let's remember that the Treasury modelling, which has proved accurate on things like electricity prices, says that the impact overall will be 0.7 per cent of CPI—that is less than a cent in a dollar.

To the member, who may have a genuine concern about price impacts for this small business: I presume he is talking to them about the price impacts flowing from electricity increases that have absolutely nothing to do with carbon pricing. Now that the Leader of the Opposition has admitted that there are dramatic power price increases, nothing to do with carbon pricing, the member should feel empowered to have a frank conversation about the facts. You no longer have to go around pretending, in order to be loyal to the Leader of the Opposition, that this is all about carbon pricing. Today he has given the game away and he has pointed to the other sources of big power bills, and I trust the member who asked the question will do precisely that for the small business involved.

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