Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Revenue) Share this | Hansard source

We do not need to get into the inelasticities, but the answer is that the price will go up. We have seen evidence of that already. I do not want to cast aspersions on the conversion industry. They will do their very best, but if they are inundated by people and put under pressure, what will the temptation be? If you have far more customers than you can deal with, it is a bit like bulk-billing. If you have too many patients you do not bulk-bill. That would only encourage more patients and you cannot handle them. If you are a converter, there is a temptation to say: ‘It was 4,000 yesterday but things are tight, big queues. It might go to 4,500 tomorrow or even worse next week.’ These are the things the government has not considered in this energy policy. Why? Because this is a hastily and recklessly cobbled together policy designed as a political fix. But yesterday, by virtue of the revelation of the Special Minister of State, it blew up in their faces. We are going to keep asking the question. We want the minister to come in here—we know he has the numbers—and simply tell us how many people will benefit.

I turn to the bill at hand, an important bill. I remind members that this is a very wide-ranging debate. The member for Moncrieff has a sterling opportunity, the opportunity of a lifetime, to respond. The Tax Laws Amendment (Repeal of Inoperative Provisions) Bill 2006 in reality—unfortunately I cannot be complementary of the government, again—is an enormous failure.

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