Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer him to a statement on FuelWatch by the Assistant Treasurer on 27 April 2008 on Sky News. He said that the government will be:

... covering the cost of the setup, and there’ll be no increased compliance costs for service stations whatsoever.

Given the Treasury has estimated that the cost to small business of FuelWatch would be $4,000 per annum, does the Prime Minister stand by his minister’s statement?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do, and both the Assistant Treasurer and I said this when we did a press conference together just before coming into the chamber. The Leader of the National Party would have been better advised to have observed our comments then rather than expend a question in the way that he just has. The text of the government’s decision on this matter was that there would be no net establishment costs to participating retailers; these net establishment costs for participating retailers would be zero. That is a decision which we took at the time, and we stand by that decision because we recognised a couple of things. One is that there are already cost imposts on retailers in this sector because many of them are either required or are participating in—

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. The question was not about establishment costs; it was $4,000 per annum—that means every year.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When cabinet considered this matter it was entirely mindful of any compliance costs faced by business. That is why we took the decision that we did. We are unapologetically a party that supports business, and we are unapologetically a party which believes that we have got to get behind our small business entrepreneurs out there rather than leave them in the lurch like those opposite have done by doing nothing to assist them in practical terms after 12 long years in office. We stand by the decision we took as a cabinet and we will honour that commitment.