Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The bills I am referring to today are the Omnibus Repeal Day (Spring 2014) Bill, the Amending Acts 1970 to 1979 Repeal Bill 2014 and the Statute Law Revision Bill (No. 2) 2014. Comments made by previous speakers also outline clearly that these particular bills before us—and today's entire charade around red tape repeal day—does in fact relate to the resumption of indexation of the fuel excise in line with the consumer price index.

As I continue to repeat, the government has put the increase in the fuel excise back on the table. Yes, they are doing it in a sneaky way. They have put it into their red tape repeal documents; they have listed it here in their red tape repeal documents. They do not want to debate this issue. They do not want the Senate to have the opportunity to talk about increasing petrol tax because they know how much of a stinker it is in regional Victoria. It is an absolute stinker to be increasing petrol prices. It hits small business, it hits our farmers and it hits our families. That is what is before us today. It exposes how this government likes to hide behind its own red tape. It likes to create this charade. Contained in their red tape repeal day bill is the fact they are increasing compliance costs for petrol stations. That is what I have tried to highlight in this speech. With their charade of, 'We're going to repeal red tape; we're going to make it easier for business', they are making it harder for petrol stations. Through this particular measure they are making every single petrol station become a tax collector for this government.

This is what their red tape repeal day is all about—it is all about smokescreens and increasing pressure on families. Rather than being up-front about it, whether before the election or now, this government is trying to ambush the Australian people. Petrol costs are a big issue. They are a very big issue to people in the country and in 12 days time the price of petrol for regional Australians will increase.

Guess what is also going to happen in 12 days time? Prepolls for the Victorian state election will also happen. Perhaps that is why this government does not want to talk about what is really going on and why people do not like the increase to the petrol tax. People do not like the fact that this government will resume the indexation of the fuel excise in line with the consumer price index, a measure which is contained in this document. (Time expired)

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