Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the fact that the West Adelaide Football Club is facing an increase of $32,000 in its power bill this year because of the carbon tax and to the statement of its CEO, Mr Kym Russell, who said:

… junior development will be the first thing that gets cut - money that we spend in our promotional zones are probably the first things that will have to go."

Why won't the Prime Minister apologise to the parents of junior footballers and to Mr Kym Russell for promising 'There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead'?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To the member's question: first, the question asserts something which is false. It is misleading to attribute, as the member has, the entire electricity price rise experienced by football clubs, or indeed any other entity, to the carbon price.

Indeed, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency's office spoke to the West Adelaide Football Club this morning, who confirmed that around half of the price rise quoted in the Advertiser was due to network costs—that is, it is due to the kinds of costs I have been raising publicly and that initially the Leader of the Opposition denied existed. It is due to those kinds of costs.

As the member who asked the question may know from my statements and the government's statements, we are concerned about the impact of those network costs. The Leader of the Opposition denied their existence and then backflipped on this yesterday and said that there are substantial price rises due to things like this. We are determined to make a difference to these problems in our electricity system. That is why I am determined to drive a process of change at the Council of Australian Governments meeting.

Firstly, the question is misleading. Secondly—

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. The Prime Minister was asked whether she would apologise to the parents of junior footballers for saying, 'There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead'—

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

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Prime Minister is answering the question.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand that the opposition would be embarrassed when once again their fear campaign has been shown to be false, but I do believe I have an obligation to the House, when a question that contains a falsity is asked, to correct that falsity. I say to the member who asked the question that Treasury modelling has estimated that the carbon impact price on sport and recreation is at 0.3 per cent or around 20c per week. This includes the impact on football clubs. This means that clubs can very slightly raise ticket prices. We are talking about a couple of cents against a background where we have provided an average assistance to households of $10.10 a week. So, in terms of carbon pricing, the people who attend that sporting club will have seen the benefit of tax cuts, pension increases and family payment increases.

I have indicated the modest impact of carbon pricing. Fifty per cent of this increase is about the network cost, and the member has offered no answer to that. The Leader of the Opposition until recently denied its existence. But we are determined to get on with the job of making a difference for these kinds of power price rises for the future.

Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table the article.

Leave not granted.