Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Hansard source

Absolutely, the member for Calare. Small businesses are already attempting to cut costs.

Government members interjecting—

Those on the other side might well laugh at the plight of small business, but those businesses are not looking as forward to the introduction of this tax on 1 July as those opposite are, I can tell you they are not. They do not want to be driven out of business by the government's incompetence. The thing about the Labor Party is it just does not get small business. It just does not get how hard it is to make a profit because probably none of them over there have ever made a profit. They have only ever had a union salary which comes in every fortnight, no questions asked—not like the people who are in small business who have to struggle to make it pay. They have to do a job, get paid for it and make a profit, and what do those opposite do to help? They tax them with the carbon tax. They try to tell us that it is not going to affect the cost of petrol, but who is going to believe that? Who believes that there will be no energy used in the production, distribution and retailing of petrol? Who believes that?

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