Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

That is not true. Senator Singh is misleading the chamber. I referred you to the EM in relation to your question about how many businesses will be impacted by the changes that we are proposing. That answer is very explicitly provided in the explanatory memorandum. Indeed, Senator Lines from the Australian Labor Party suggested this morning that it was actually reported in The West Australian this morning—so transparent have we been in providing that information as part of our explanatory memorandum.

In relation to your question on consultation, what I said to you is that we have undertaken all of the appropriate consultation, bearing in mind that the most important consultation in relation to the measures in this bill took place in the lead-up to 7 September last year. It was called a general election. What we put to the Australian people in the lead-up to the last election was that we would get rid of the carbon tax, because that will help to bring down the cost of electricity, it will help to bring down the cost of gas, it will help to bring down the cost of living—