Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The Labor Party spend most of their time saying that we are the champions of big businesses. I'll tell you who is sitting in bed with big businesses that want to rip off Australian customers on their electricity prices: the Labor Party. That's who it is. I agree with the Business Council on this matter though—when the Business Council of Australia said that the emissions target of 26 per cent is appropriate and achievable, but a 45 per cent emissions reduction target is an economy-wrecking target. That is what the Labor Party are proposing. So, not only do they want to cuddle up to the big energy companies and not take the sides of customers, like the Liberal Party and the National Party are doing, they also want to hit customers with what is effectively a 45 per cent electricity tax, which will put up electricity prices for mums and dads and for small businesses and pensioners and older Australians. That's the Labor Party's view.

The member for Barker reminded us this week that when Robert Menzies said that we stand up for the forgotten people, that didn't mean forgotten energy company executives; it meant mums and dads and people paying electricity bills. That's who we're fighting for. In the Liberal and National parties, we're fighting for small businesses who are out there working hard. We're fighting for family businesses. We're fighting for people who go out there and earn a wage and pay tax. We're fighting for people who haven't got the time to go out there and be advocates all the time and be political activists. That is the party of the Labor Party and the Greens and the Left. They want to fill the airwaves with economy-wrecking policies, but what we're doing on this side is standing up for Australians who work hard and are sick of paying too much for their electricity bills. We're prepared to take on the big energy companies; the Labor Party has folded.

See this speech in context