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

I misunderstood. I thought the member was referring to a business. What I have just said is correct for businesses: the big increases they have seen in power prices in Queensland come from other areas, not the carbon price. The Leader of the Opposition has acknowledged today that there are other sources of dramatic increases in power bills.

What we have always said for Australian families is that they would see a 10 per cent increase in their electricity bill, and that has been acknowledged by the regulators as right. They will see a 10 per cent increase in their electricity bill, a 10 per cent increase in what they pay. Because they will see that 10 per cent increase, which on average for families is $3.30 a week, we have provided, on average, assistance of $10.10 a week in the form of tax cuts, in the form of pension increases and in the form of family payment increases. These are the facts and no amount of fear campaigning changes those facts. No amount of fear campaigning today will distract from the Leader of the Opposition's plan to cut funding to every public school in the member for Ryan's electorate.

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