Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

When I was speaking in this debate previously I pointed out that food prices will rise. Of course they will. I do not know whether people here are aware but we produce about seven per cent of Australia’s fruit and vegetables, a market which is dwindling, of course—we are a net importer of fruit and vegetables now. Those fruit and vegetables go mostly from the Atherton Tableland and the area north of Tully all the way down to Sydney and Melbourne. You can manage the amount of carbon that is produced in carrying the product that far. So I do not doubt for a moment that the figures for the increase in food prices—that seven per cent figure or the four per cent figure, whichever one you choose—that came out in the Australian today are accurate.

Whilst I find confusing the figures that are being put out on the increase in electricity charges, it would appear from the figures that I have seen that the increase in electricity charges will be up around 15 to 20 per cent. So is the government going to continue on with a proposal that will put electricity charges to the consumers up by 15 to 20 per cent, food prices up by four to seven per cent and will cost around 100,000 jobs? It will cost around 100,000 jobs in the mining industries of Australia, directly and indirectly. That figure sounds exaggerated but almost all of the mines operating in north-eastern Australia are operating at a loss. The price for metals such as zinc has dropped to one quarter of what it was two years ago. Mr Acting Speaker, do they think these mines are going to run indefinitely at a loss? If they are running at a loss and you take five per cent off their gross, then that makes their net position infinitely worse. So, Mr Acting Speaker, I find it difficult to—

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