Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The fear campaign of Senator Brandis and the Liberal Party leading up to 1 July fell flat. They are out of material now, because the things that they threatened did not come to pass. But it is disingenuous in the extreme for the Liberal Party now to pretend that the electricity price rises that have occurred in Australia in the last couple of years—over 40 per cent in many states—were driven by the carbon price that was introduced on 1 July. Everyone, apart from the opposition, knows that the small impact of the carbon price was covered by the household assistance and pensioner assistance packages paid by this government. But it is an absolute untruth to claim that the carbon price is driving those electricity price increases. When you run out credible claims you resort to fear, and everyone knows it is untrue. (Time expired)