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

Madam Deputy Speaker, I have a further supplementary question. Can the Prime Minister inform the House how many households will be worse off even on the government's own figures? Can the Prime Minister confirm that the best way to compensate people would just be to drop the carbon tax?

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

To the Leader of the Opposition I say, as he well knows—and perhaps he should ask a pensioner about this—we have made sure that pensioners have 20 per cent over and above what they need for the average impact of carbon pricing.

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

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order on direct relevance. The Prime Minister was asked a very straightforward question about how many people would be worse off under her modelling and why she does not just scrap the carbon tax.

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

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Often in the opposition's points of order they repeat the question and sometimes, as on that occasion, they actually ask a different question. It is totally out of order.

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

I will continue to point out that points of order are not to be used for debate.

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

That question from the Leader of the Opposition concluded by asking why I do not act to make people, as he said, better off by getting rid of the carbon price. That is what he said. I point out to the Leader of the Opposition—and it may be unpalatable for him—that his so-called plan to repeal carbon pricing, which we all know will never happen, would make pensioners worse off. His so-called plan would make households—including, for example, those with part-time working women who are benefiting from a tripling of the tax-free threshold—worse off. The Leader of the Opposition needs to acknowledge these basic facts.

We know that the Leader of the Opposition's claims about a carbon price repeal are hollow and that every living Liberal leader has supported a price on carbon. He should at least be explaining to working families that his plan is one which would make millions of Australians worse off.

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

The Prime Minister needs to return to the question.

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

The Leader of the Opposition knows from— (Time expired)