Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

The ACCI report is only a partial analysis, Senator Boswell. It is based on a sample of just 11 businesses in only a small range of small and medium sized enterprise sectors. It also assumes that small businesses have already implemented all energy-saving and efficiency measures available to them, which means that it has a tendency to underestimate savings from energy efficiency opportunities and overestimate the costs.

All Australian businesses will benefit from the measures that the government has already announced, on 4 May—that is, a one-year delay to the start of the scheme and a $10 fixed price. The energy efficiency and other complementary measures are also built in to a whole range of budget measures across a range of portfolios. It is also important to appreciate that the government is providing some $2.7 billion for a Climate Change Action Fund which will support industries, small businesses and community groups. The government is also providing some $200 million this financial year through the CCAF to help businesses and other community groups actually prepare for the introduction of the scheme, and there will be a range of measures to underpin that. It is a pity that the coalition feel that they can run and hide from these issues by failing to pass this legislation. It is a pity that the coalition think that they can avoid their responsibilities by constantly adjourning discussion of these issues. (Time expired)