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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to his answers in the House yesterday and again today, when the Prime Minister said that Treasury documentation projected:

… electricity prices would rise by seven per cent in 2011-12.

I refer the Prime Minister to the government’s 820-page, easy-to-use, consumer-friendly, carbon-emitting guide to the real cost of the government’s ETS. I refer him specifically to page 17(3), which says:

Electricity prices are estimated to increase by around 18 per cent.

Prime Minister, which of these figures should Australian families believe—seven per cent or 18 per cent?

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

Can I say in response to the honourable member’s question that the advice which the government has received from the Treasury is as follows: firstly, in relation to electricity prices—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

I am directly answering the question which has been asked—that in 2011-12 electricity prices would go up by seven per cent and that in 2012-13 they would go up by 12 per cent. That actually goes to the sequencing of the introduction of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, with a fixed price in the first year and a floating price in the second. That is the answer to the honourable member’s question.

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I ask the Prime Minister to release that information and to disclose the information on the paper from which—

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

The member for North Sydney will resume his seat.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I ask the Prime Minister to table the document from which he was quoting.

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

Was the Prime Minister quoting from a document?

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

Consistent with my predecessor’s usual practice, I was, and I therefore decline to table it.

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

I take it that the Prime Minister is indicating that it is confidential.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. On the Leader of the Opposition’s request, the past practice has been for the Speaker to ensure that the document is marked ‘confidential’. If it is not marked ‘confidential’, the practice is for it to be tabled.

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

No. The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. It has not been the role of the Speaker to decide whether things have been marked confidential or not. The question has been asked of the minister concerned. As I said, I took it from the response from the Prime Minister that the document is confidential.