Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian people have been betrayed, Australian small business owners have been betrayed, and workers and their families have been betrayed by a government that is out of touch and fails to understand what everyday Australians know: times are tough. Everyday Australians understand the betrayal. Six days prior to the 2010 election, Julia Gillard made the infamous promise: 'There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead.' Australians know that these words were worthless. There is no way around it: the Gillard government has no mandate from the people for this great big new carbon tax.

The Prime Minister has since stumbled through two years of failure. The lack of judgment, policy failures and broken promises have created a directionless and divided government that means the Prime Minister's short-term interests are at odds with the long-term interests of this country, and as a result hardworking Australians are suffering.

Every day I speak to small-business owners across the Macquarie electorate and I continue to hear the same themes. Business owners are facing a range of challenges: the high Australian dollar and the rising costs for themselves and their customers. Many are seriously considering shutting up shop. Many are holding on for their employees, taking little or, in some cases, no pay for themselves. Quite simply, local small-business owners do not need the added pressure that the carbon tax will place upon them and their customers.

In July, I met Artur. This owner of a local pizza shop in Bligh Park contacted my office because he was concerned as he had started to receive letters from suppliers advising of price increases effective from 2 July. One letter in particular stood out to Artur. Previous letters from this supplier attributed price increases to the increased cost of raw materials and clearly stated the amount of the price increase. This letter did neither, leaving Artur to assume that the increase is in anticipation of the carbon tax. When speaking to Artur, he said:

We are a small business. We risk our family's way of life to try and get ahead and it doesn't matter what we try to do to keep the costs down, we just can't keep up, especially with the rising cost of items such as electricity and gas.

This small-business owner went on to say:

They—

talking about the government—

said there would be no price increase under the carbon tax, yet I'm already receiving letters from my suppliers. We have received no correspondence from the Gillard government in regard to the impact of the carbon tax on my business. I don't think they even care.

The Gillard government has a lot to answer for, not just for this small-business owner but for many across this nation.

Just this weekend I was out and about at the Katoomba Winter Magic Festival. During the day I spoke to many local business owners who expressed similar sentiments to Artur. One take-away shop owner is currently weighing up his options—will he continue or will he close up shop? This local business owner is finding it difficult to pay all his bills. When I walked in the shop it was empty, on a day when there was a festival. He expressed his dismay and concern, stating: 'The carbon tax hasn't even kicked in yet.' These are not one-off examples; they are representative of the 11,474 businesses in the electorate of Macquarie. I ask the Prime Minister: when will this government give local business a break? When will this government cut the red tape and give Australian businesses a fair go? When will this government give Australian families a fair go? Increased electricity prices, gas prices, health prices—all as a direct result of the poor policy decisions of this government.

Last week's Sunday Telegraph identified that families residing in the Hawkesbury, within the Macquarie electorate, use about 9,338 kilowatts of electricity a year compared to other parts of Sydney. Homebush households, for example, use around 6,451 kilowatts. The Hawkesbury experiences high temperatures in summer and low temperatures in winter. They still have to pay for heating and cooling. That is before the carbon tax has even been introduced. (Time expired)