Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to Minister for Small Business—prompted by that comprehensive and insightful answer. Is the minister aware that the latest New South Wales IPART review indicates that electricity prices for small businesses in New South Wales have increased an average of 47 per cent since 2010? Can the minister outline how the government repealing the carbon tax will help more than 6,000 small businesses in my electorate, and businesses across New South Wales, reduce their electricity bills?

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mitchell. I acknowledge his ongoing and tireless support for the small businesses and family enterprises in his community. He, like all of us on this side of the House, recognises that small businesses and family enterprises are the lifeblood of so many communities right across our continent. We on this side of the House also recognise—yet to be appreciated by Labor—that the carbon tax was a very cruel measure inflicted on small businesses and family enterprises. When the former Prime Minister stared down the barrel of the television camera and said, 'There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead,' the vast majority of small businesses, perhaps unwisely, actually believed her. They had not made preparations for a carbon tax, because they were promised they would not have one.

After that, the Green-Labor alliance saw the introduction of a carbon tax, and alongside it there were all sorts of carve-outs, compensation and claims that it was going to be such an enormous financial trigger that it would change behaviour—but just in case it harmed somebody, here is some compensation. Do you know who was left out of that entire equation? Do you know who received no direct compensation and none of the carve-outs? The small business community. They were told by Labor to either suck up the additional cost and have a further impact on the viability of their businesses or pass it on to consumers. In electorates like Mitchell, where there are a lot of small businesses already facing the stiff headwinds introduced by Labor into their economies, struggling to keep their heads above water, here was yet another cost, another imposition. They saw that cost come through in their direct energy costs. So if you owned a cafe and used electricity to do your skinny lattes or to heat up your toasted sandwiches; if you owned an ice-cream shop where you had to keep your stock cool; if you owned a corner store where you just wanted to have the drinks cold; or, heaven forbid, if you owned a milk bar where you wanted to keep your pies in the fridge until they were needed, all of those costs were going up. And it was not only the direct costs but all the embedded costs: the supply chain costs, the costs that were in the supply chain—all building through to the small business. That meant that small business was put into a corner and, in addition to the insult of being told there would not be a carbon tax, there was then the economic injury of having one with no direct compensation to support that additional burden on their business. We are going to relieve that burden. It is our commitment to remove this carbon tax.

The small business community are a single chorus across our country saying, 'Get rid of the carbon tax.' The carbon tax impacts on employment, on business viability and on costs. It is a drain and a drag on the enterprise of courageous small business men and women; let us listen to the small business community and axe that carbon tax.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.