Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Hansard source

You are right—1 July is the easiest day, not the hardest day. What we know is this, and refrigeration is a very simple example. The Prime Minister today conceded that it is not some mythical group of under 500 companies; it is small businesses around the country. Let me read what was said by the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association in a letter received today: 'At least 800 companies from the refrigeration industry will be paying this tax direct to the government. In most applications there is no viable alternative to these refrigerants.' What does that mean? It means that at least 800 companies, over and above all of those that are already listed, are going to directly pay the tax. And they are not going to pay small price rises. In the case of R404A, one of the leading refrigerant gases in Australia, we are looking at a quadrupling of price. Let me look at other examples. In the case of R23 there is a doubling, for R134A there is a tripling, for R507 there is a tripling, and for R407C there is a doubling. These are the real price rises that we are looking at because of this tax on refrigerants. And who pays that? Cool stores, warehouses, distribution centres, butchers, cafes, bottle shops—anybody who has to keep things cold; the list goes on and on. They are the people who pay the carbon tax.

See this speech in context