Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and the Treasurer, Senator Wong. Is the minister aware of research by the Energy Users Association of Australia that shows that Australian businesses currently pay 130 per cent more for electricity than their competitors in Canada? Is the minister also aware that Australian businesses will have to pay 250 per cent more than their competitors in Canada after the introduction of the carbon tax and other locked-in price increases? In light of this new evidence, does the minister now concede that the Gillard government's decision to impose the world's biggest carbon tax on Australia will hurt our international competitiveness?