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

My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. I remind him of this month's report on electricity price increases, released by the ACT Labor government's independent regulator, which states, 'The majority of the increase in electricity prices is attributable to the introduction of a price on carbon. It represents just under 80 per cent of the absolute change.' How does the Acting Prime Minister reconcile that with his statement to the House that 'the great bulk of increases in electricity prices have nothing to do with a carbon price'?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The opposition leader is continuing with his campaign of deception and deliberately spreading misinformation around our community. As I explained to the House yesterday, nationally the carbon price is only expected to make up nine per cent of an average household bill in 2012-13. Those are the facts and, as I pointed out to the House yesterday, over the last five years electricity prices in New South Wales have increased by 80 per cent. We had this extraordinary statement from the shadow Treasurer yesterday about the alleged impact of a carbon price. This is what he said: 'Electricity prices in Sydney have risen 66 per cent since federal Labor came to power.' That is just a straight lie and it is just so typical of the misinformation being put around by those opposite. We on this side of the House—

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

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would ask the Acting Prime Minister to table the document from which he is reading.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw, Madam Deputy Speaker. But I ask this question: how can the power price rises that Sydneysiders have—

Mr Dutton interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Dickson is warned.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How can the price rises for electricity, of 80 per cent, that have been in place for over five years in New South Wales be the responsibility of a carbon price? How could that be? It is not the case. We have explained the impact of a carbon price overall—less than 1c in the dollar; 0.7 per cent. But of course there will be an impact on the overall price level, small as it is. That is the reason we are putting in place assistance to families and assistance to industry. That is what we have been doing. So we stand by all of the modelling that we have put out, including when it comes to electricity prices. We understand that there is a price impact and that is why households are getting assistance. The average household assistance is over $10 per household. The average electricity price increase is just over $3. That is a fact. There is nothing that those on that side of the House can do when they come in here to deny those essential facts.

The Leader of the Opposition will say anything, do anything and wreck anything for political power. He is constantly talking down our economy, he is constantly misrepresenting the impact of a carbon price and it just shows how unqualified he is for high office.

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

My supplementary question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Does the Acting Prime Minister deny that the carbon tax is almost 80 per cent of the power price increase in the ACT?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The facts are as I have just outlined them. These are the facts. The fact is that the carbon price is expected to contribute up to nine per cent of the average household bill in 2012-13.