Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Individuals who work hard, individuals who take risk, individuals who invest, individuals who create jobs—they are the best judges of how to use their money. That is why that as of today we are collecting $5.4 billion less in tax revenue than would have been collected if Labor were re-elected. Why? Because of the decisions we made. We said the mining tax was a ball and chain around the legs of the mining industry. How right we were! Look at what has happened to the mining industry. Imagine if there was a mining tax on top of that. And the carbon tax—$550 a year for a family. The carbon tax was costing jobs, costing economic growth, and Labor wants to re-introduce the carbon tax that hurt the Australian economy—the carbon tax that hurt Australian families.

Of course, we know that, because we abolished the carbon tax, prices for electricity have come down. A St Vincent de Paul Society study has confirmed that the saving on average for families is between $190 and $400 a year and is part of the broader $550 a year saved by Australian households as a result of getting rid of the carbon tax. But, of course, Labor wants to re-introduce the carbon tax. I found this document—their national platform—and it is compelling reading. There are some great lines in here. I would have thought at one stage that it was fiction. It says here: 'As a consequence of the decisions made by the last Labor government, Australia's public finances'—

Opposition members interjecting—

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