House debates Questions without Notice
Carbon Pricing
Michael Sukkar Deakin, Liberal Party
2:19 pm
My question is to the Minister for the Environment. I refer to the list of liable entities released by the Clean Energy Regulator last week that shows the carbon tax hit Victorians with $1.5 billion of additional costs in 2013-14. Will the minister inform the House how removing the carbon tax will ease cost-of-living pressures for Victorian businesses and families?
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker, and, in particular, thank you to the member for Deakin. I remember during the last campaign walking with the now member for Deakin through Ringwood, Blackburn and Mitcham, where he went from shop to shop and house to house—
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment
campaigning to reduce electricity prices for Victorian families and for the families of Deakin.
Ms Butler interjecting—
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment
Yesterday we learnt a very interesting thing. We learnt that, after all of the discussion from the members of the opposition, we would never be able to reduce electricity prices. The Tasmanian regulator has ruled that electricity prices—
An honourable member: What about Victoria?
I will come to that. The Tasmanian regulator has ruled that electricity prices will go down by 7.8 per cent in Tasmania. In Victoria, it is the same thing, because Victoria is an unregulated environment. In recent days, we have had commitment from the private sector—and if you had listened you would have got to this point—from AGL, from Origin and, indeed, from Energy Australia, that all of them would pass on the full cost savings from the carbon tax repeal as of 1 July.
Ms Butler interjecting—
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment
So all three major electricity retailers in Victoria—in addition to the regulated states of New South Wales, with regard to gas, and Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT, with regard to electricity—are going to pass on—
Mr Burke interjecting—
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment
all electricity savings back to consumers. So when the opposition gives this feigned impression of concern about the cost of living, we can actually reduce electricity prices right now. We can reduce electricity prices for families in Deakin and in Victoria. However, if we were not about to repeal the carbon tax—
Ms Butler interjecting—
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment
then what we see is that Victoria has just been slugged with $1.5 billion of carbon tax over the last year, $3 billion of carbon tax over the last two years and, in particular, within that is over $1.3 billion of electricity taxes in the year just finished. If we are not to repeal the carbon tax, then Victorians will pay an additional $1.3 billion in electricity taxes, and so will Victoria's firms. That is why in the last 24 hours we have had the Minerals Council call for the carbon tax to be repealed immediately, we have had the Australian Industry Group call for the carbon tax to be repealed—
Opposition members interjecting—
Greg Hunt Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment
from small manufacturers and we have had the Business Council of Australia make this point: the carbon tax is one of the highest in the world and is imposing unnecessary costs on many businesses which cannot be passed on to consumers.
If you care about lower electricity prices, get out of the way; and, if you care about profitable businesses, just this once, Bill, just say yes.
Ms Butler interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Butler has been warned. One more utterance and she will leave. The choice is yours.