Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

This motion makes reference to parties presenting properly costed policies and talks about the Australian people having a well-informed debate. Talk about utter bald-faced hypocrisy—how can the member for Fraser come in here with a motion that talks about properly costed policies when he is part of a government that simply cannot get any costings right?

Just last financial year, this Labor government predicted a deficit of $22.6 billion, but they were not even within a bull's roar of it. The end result was $43.7 billion—almost double what was forecast. Take their costings on the mining tax: it simply made this government a complete and utter laughing stock. Let's not forget the promise after promise after promise about returning the budget to surplus—another complete costings farce.

On policies, all Australians remember the government's policy before the last election, and that was: 'There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead.' But instead the good member that proposes this motion voted with the rest of this government to inflict the world's largest carbon tax upon our nation. So how can the Australian public have a well-informed debate about policies, when the track record of this government simply shows they cannot be trusted? It shows the public cannot believe a single word that they say.

Nine months into Labor's carbon tax, just look at the damage this toxic tax is wreaking through the economy. Only a few days ago, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission reported that there were 10,632 company collapses in the last 12 months. That is an average of 886 a month. In fact, under Labor's carbon tax the number of firms being placed into administration under distress is actually 12 per cent higher than what was experienced during the global financial crisis—12 per cent higher.

Look at some of the comments from some industry specialists. Tod Gammel, a partner with HLB Mann Judd, likened the carbon tax to pulling a leg from underneath a chair. He said:

The companies which have exposure to energy and other factors which are affected by the carbon tax in a significant way, the carbon tax and the costs related to it are having a significant impact on the ability of these companies to continue.

ACCI chief economist Greg Evans said:

Rapidly escalating energy prices caused by the carbon tax and other green programs are taking their toll on many Australian businesses. In energy reliant industries it is already showing up in job losses, investment and in the worst cases business closures.

AMP Capital chief economist Dr Shane Oliver said:

It defies logic to adopt a policy which even the Treasury acknowledges will lower our standard of living and be harmful to national productivity. The carbon tax is clearly having its toll.

The evidence is in. Labor's carbon tax has resulted in a record number of firms going to the wall with thousands of employees being laid off and companies forced to close factories that have stood for generations. And the damage goes on. The Treasurer has been crying about a massive hit to revenue, but what do you expect when you smash Australian businesses with the world's highest carbon tax? This government simply does not get it. We have seen the Treasury figures released that show that the national budget fell a further $4.6 billion into deficit in the first four weeks of 2013. That is over $1 billion a week. It is $164 million a day or $6,845,000 an hour.

We all want an informed debate, the one that Labor deceptively denied the public at the last election. There are two crystal clear alternatives at this next election. If the coalition is elected we will abolish the carbon tax. It will be our first order of business. The alternative, a vote for Labor, is a continuation of the damage that the carbon tax is doing. But not only that, under Labor the carbon tax continues— (Time expired)

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