Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, my question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware that Brindabella Airlines are about to cease their Canberra-Albury and Brisbane-Armidale air services? Its chief operating officer said that the imposition of the carbon tax was a major factor and 'the final nail in the coffin for us'. Will the Prime Minister now apologise to air travellers for breaking her solemn pledge that 'there will be no carbon tax under a government I lead'?

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

I am advised by the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport that Rex is in fact expanding its operations and number of flights. Once again we have the Leader of the Opposition in this place seeking—

Opposition members: Wrong airline!

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

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

If I can finish my sentence, Madam Deputy Speaker, once again we have got the opposition in this place trying to mislead about the impact of carbon pricing. They are trying to create a fear in the Australian community about the impact of carbon pricing on regional airlines. As I have just indicated, the minister for transport has advised me that Rex is expanding.

On the impact on Brindabella and on air travel generally, as we have canvassed—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Riverina, the Prime Minister has the call and will be heard in silence.

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

On regional airlines, Brindabella—the question that the Leader of the Opposition asked—we have in the past canvassed in this parliament the modest impact of carbon pricing on air travel. We have also in this parliament discussed how this impact—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Brindabella's chief operating officer says the carbon tax was the 'final nail in the coffin'—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

No. 1, I remind the Leader of the Opposition that carbon pricing does not start till 1 July. No. 2, I remind the Leader of the Opposition that the impact on air travel is in the order of a few dollars per flight. No. 3, I remind the Leader of the Opposition that that impact has been modelled into the assistance that families and households are receiving. I remind the Leader of the Opposition that 3.2 million pensioners are, as we speak, receiving the first round of additional assistance in their bank accounts, which will be followed up next March and be ongoing; that 1.5 million families around the country are receiving assistance into their bank accounts as well. I remind the Leader of the Opposition that he is a man who has made many false claims about carbon pricing, all of which will be shown to be untrue on 1 July. He said prices rises will be unimaginable; he will be shown to be wrong. He said power bills will jump by 30 per cent; he will be shown to be wrong. He said the coal industry will shut down; he will be shown to be wrong. He said entire towns like Whyalla will be wiped off the map. So, when the sun sets on 1 July and none of those things has come to pass, then this destructive negativity from the Leader of the Opposition will be revealed to the Australian people for what it has always been—him trying to run a political fear campaign and prepared to engage in any level of distortion to do so.

Laura Smyth (La Trobe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, how is the budget and extra assistance through the carbon price helping pensioners and families to make ends meet?

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

I thank the member for her question; I know of her deep concern for families in her electorate who are under cost-of-living pressures. I know too that she is working to get information out to members in her community about what assistance is available for people. As of yesterday, 3.2 million pensioners commenced to receive money into their bank accounts—single pensioners $250, pensioner couples $380. More assistance will be received from next March and that assistance will be received fortnightly and be ongoing. Families will also see increases in family payments flowing through to bank accounts.

On 1 July Australians will see a tax cut. Australians will see the benefit of a tax reduction for people earning less than $80,000 a year. They will see the tripling of the tax-free threshold. That means half a million Australians will move from paying tax to paying no tax. A million Australians will no longer be required to fill in a tax return at the end of the tax year. This assistance is being made available to families and we know on average that the price impacts flowing through to families are $9.90 per week, whereas on average the assistance is $10.10 a week.

These are the facts. These are the facts that the Leader of the Opposition does not want Australians to know. These are the facts that counter his scare campaign. He has claimed that price rises will be astronomical, that power bills will go up by 30 per cent, that major industries like coal and steel and cement will shut down, that towns like Whyalla will be wiped off the map. These false claims have been repeated time after time after time by the Leader of the Opposition. On 1 July and in the days following, these false claims, this destructive negativity, will be shown for what it is: part of a fear campaign aimed at Australians, part of the Leader of the Opposition's destructive and negative campaign. These claims will be shown to be demonstrably false; they have always been untrue. The first of July is coming and people will be able to judge for themselves.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware that the City of Sydney Council have been advised that they will have to collect nearly $1 million extra in rates because of the carbon tax? Other councils like Wollongong and Blacktown will have to increase rates by nearly half a million dollars a year. Will the Prime Minister apologise to ratepayers for rate rises that have only occurred because she broke her promise that there would be '… no carbon tax under the government I lead'?

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

To the shadow Treasurer's question let me first say this: you never accept a purported fact from the opposition when it is brought into this parliament during question time, because you always find out on analysis that what is being said is not right—part of a fear campaign. For example, I have just been given the media release of Aeropelican and Brindabella Airlines, who talk about—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, a point of order.

Peter Slipper (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Manager of Opposition Business is rising on a point of order of relevance. I was actually going to ask the Prime Minister to answer the question before her. The Prime Minister has the call and will be relevant to the question.

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

Yes, I will, Deputy Speaker. I know, of course, that you cannot in front of this opposition bring a fact into the building—they get hysterical. So we will deal with their misleading about Brindabella Airlines at the end of question time. But I do draw people's attention to the press release.

On the question that I have been asked—which, when we look into it, I am sure will turn out to be equally misleading, because that is what the opposition does on carbon pricing—as the shadow Treasurer would be aware, we have spoken to the Australian people about local government and carbon pricing: about the very, very modest impact and about how the impact on rates has been modelled into the anticipated price rises of 0.7 per cent. That is less than a dollar in a $100.

Of course, what the shadow Treasurer does not want to tell Australians is that the assistance that is being made available—the payments for 3.2 million pensioners, the family payment increases for 1.5 million, the tax reduction, and the shadow Treasurer has been very clear about this—all of these things will be taken away by the shadow Treasurer. Money ripped out of the hands of working Australians raising children; money ripped out of the hands of Australians who are benefiting from a triple tax-free threshold; money ripped out of the hands of pensioners, and many of them better off as a result of the assistance that is being received.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Madam Deputy Speaker. A million dollars increase for Sydney council, a half a million dollars for Wollongong and other councils.

Government members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will sit down! The Leader of the Opposition has made his point of order. It is relevance. Points of order are not opportunities for debate. If they continue to be abused I will exclude people from the chamber. The Prime Minister has the call and will be relevant to the question before her.

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

Thank you very much, Deputy Speaker, and on relevance it is relevant that the price impact is 0.7 per cent, less than a cent in a dollar; it is relevant that families are receiving assistance; and it is relevant that the Leader of the Opposition wants to take every dollar of that assistance away from hardworking Australian families and from Australian pensioners.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney on a supplementary question?

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, it is even better than a supplementary.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Even better? The member for North Sydney has the call.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table the published list of increases in council fees associated with your carbon tax.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney will resume his seat! Leave is not granted. The member for North Sydney is seeking leave to table—

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table a statement from Brindabella Airlines, from the chief operating officer identifying that the final nail in the coffin for us—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is not granted. The member for North Sydney!

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

is a carbon tax. You didn't even quote the right document!

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for North Sydney will resume his seat!

Mr Hockey interjecting—

The member for North Sydney is warned! The Leader of the House?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, yes, I will allow him to table half the bit, because he has ripped off the top half that says that they are going to charters. Table it! Table it!

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The member for Sturt!

Mr Hockey interjecting—

The member for North Sydney has been warned!