Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The contrast between the two positions here in this parliament is pretty clear. On the one hand, we say that consumers should have some power; they on that side of the chamber say the consumer should have no power. We on this side of the chamber say that, if this succeeds in bringing down the price by 2c a litre on average over time to the consumer, it is worth backing; they say on that side of the chamber it is not worth backing. We say on this side of the chamber that, if you have got price variations within one market of between 15c and 20c per day, which has pertained in recent days in various parts of metropolitan Australia, the consumer should have the opportunity to make a choice about where they go to buy their fuel; those opposite say the consumer should have no such choice and no such information upon which to base that choice. We stand for transparency; those opposite stand for nontransparency. We stand for choice; they stand for nonchoice. I say this to those opposite: when the question has been posed—including to the leadership aspirant of the Liberal Party, the member for Wentworth—about which way the Liberal Party will vote on this in the parliament, the response on the part of the opposition is, ‘We don’t know.’ They are so committed to this proposition which they are debating in the parliament that they have not even formed a position about whether they are going to support the legislation—yes or no. The position we have put is clear cut: 2c; 15c to 20c variation; transparency; consumer choice. They stand for not giving the consumers that choice. Those opposite need to resolve once and for all whether they are going to support this legislation or not.

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