Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

it is particularly relevant that we should talk about the impact of the carbon tax on councils right across the country. The example of Wyong Council, sadly, is repeated right across the nation. The carbon tax is impacting on councils, and therefore raising the cost of rates, right across the nation. At every level the councils are hit with carbon tax, in everything they do. There are a number of indirect costs, such as higher electricity costs, as a direct result of the carbon tax. Indeed, as I understand from Treasury modelling of the council's costs at Wyong, electricity costs are between $3.4 million and $4.2 million higher as a result of Labor's carbon tax.

Then, of course, because Labor plans to increase the carbon tax every year, in just 15 days time all of those costs will go up. They will keep going up and up and up if Labor have their way. They want an increasing carbon tax to add more burden and more pain to Australia's ratepayers. It affects directly, also, those councils like Wyong that have a significant garbage disposal facility.

Mr Bowen interjecting—

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