John Cobb (Calare, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to discuss how much this Labor government's toxic carbon tax is hurting local business and, in particular, local business in the Calare electorate.

The shadow Treasurer and I recently visited businesses in Calare to talk about the carbon tax. One was Village Meats in Bathurst, run by George Kusely and his family. They own three butcher shops in Bathurst and Lithgow, and a beef stud, Speckle Park, and they employ more than 30 local people. What George had to tell us about the impact of the carbon tax was horrendous. Electricity bills are up 18 per cent; killing costs at the abattoir are up five per cent; and everything from freight costs to the cost of cardboard boxes is increasing. In George's words, the cost of the carbon tax is 'never ending'. But worst of all, George says, is the increased cost of refrigeration and cold storage. For one of George's smaller coolrooms—he has six altogether—a recent refill of refrigerant gases cost $377. That is up from $108, an increase of more than 300 per cent.

Those opposite try to defend their toxic tax by saying people should report dramatic increases in bills to the ACCC. Well, that will not work this time. The incompetent lot opposite did not even think about the impact of the carbon tax on cold storage when they constructed this scheme. It never crossed their minds. This is what local newspaper the Central Western Daily reported when the Greens leader visited Calare in April this year:

The cost of cool storage, which growers estimate could rise by several thousand dollars per year under the carbon tax, was one aspect which Senator Milne admits may have been overlooked by the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee on which she sat.

That is the end of the quote, but I think it is worth repeating:

The cost of cool storage, which growers estimate could rise by several thousand dollars per year under the carbon tax, was one aspect which Senator Milne—

that is, the Leader of the Australian Greens—

admits may have been overlooked by the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee on which she sat.

The multiparty committee, as I recall, consisted of the government and the Greens, with a couple of Independents thrown in for good measure. For this Labor government to blame anyone but itself for the outrageous increase in refrigerant and cold storage costs is blatantly deceitful.