Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and Minister for Industry and Innovation. What are the facts about how the economy—and business in particular—is dealing with the introduction of the carbon price? What does it say about the accuracy of predictions and modelling regarding the impact of the carbon price?

Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Wakefield for his question. The carbon price has now been in operation for seven weeks, and the fact is that the economy continues to grow. Yet the opposition leader, who is surely the master of mendacity, continues to come in here with his campaign of deceit. Yesterday, he plumbed new depths. Without even reading—by his own admission—BHP Billiton's statement, he blamed the Olympic Dam decision on the carbon price. It is important to note that, in the 36-page BHP Billiton investor update, carbon is not even mentioned—it does not even rate a mention in a 36-page investor update. What breathtaking mendacity and deceit the Leader of the Opposition engages in! He does not read it; he just makes it up—he goes out to a press conference and makes it up.

Here is a fact he will not like. The Leader of the Opposition claimed that 45,000 jobs would be lost in the mining industry when the carbon price came in. We are up 49,000 jobs in mining-related activities since the carbon price was announced. That is an uncomfortable fact. They come in here day after day making claims about the impact on electricity bills of carbon pricing. They falsely attribute all network costs to carbon pricing. They never complain about the 50 per cent increase in electricity bills from state government network investments. They only use off-peak rates so that they can inflate the percentage increase. They assert that no costs are ever passed through to consumers—totally false. They hide the fact that electricity bills only account for about two per cent of turnover for most businesses, and that means that the carbon cost increase for most businesses is only about 0.2 per cent of turnover. For a typical small business, that is about $5 a week increase in costs.

The master of mendacity over there has gone from the people's revolt to the python squeeze to the cobra strike to the wrecking ball. What is next? I will tell you what is next—the deceit will go up and up, and it is going to clean out your credibility big-time.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I remind the Prime Minister that the Northern Territory parliament has unanimously passed a resolution condemning your carbon tax. Can the Prime Minister please explain to the people of the Territory if this is why she has not visited them during the Territory election campaign to explain why everyone has to pay more for everything because of her toxic carbon tax?

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

To the member for Solomon, who asked the question: No. 1, I have a lot of respect the intelligence of Territorians, and they know that they are voting in a Northern Territory election for who will be the Chief Minister and who will be the Territory government. Then I go to the assertions that are in the member's question. The problem for the member is that, because the Leader of the Opposition has been out there peddling dishonesty and deceit, she feels that she needs to be out there peddling dishonesty and deceit. Unfortunately for the member, recycling the Leader of the Opposition's claims just gets you in the same problem as the Leader of the Opposition, which is that at some point you collide with the facts and it becomes clear that what you have been saying is not true and not truthful.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Seniors) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In order for it to be directly relevant, the answer must adhere to the substance of the question, which was asking the Prime Minister—the Prime Minister for mendacity—why she has not attended Darwin during the campaign for the Northern Territory.

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

The member for Mackellar will resume her seat. The Prime Minister is answering the question. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

The problem for the member in following the Leader of the Opposition's campaign of deceit is that sooner or later you run straight into the facts. The Leader of the Opposition's was out there yesterday preaching doom and gloom and telling everybody that the economy was broken. He was out there making representations about Olympic Dam. He had not even bothered to read a statement which explained what was happening in Olympic Dam. But the member who asked the question about the Northern Territory knows that all of this from the Leader of the Opposition is wrong because she knows that in her electorate she is seeing the $34 billion INPEX project.

So how has she felt as the Leader of the Opposition has been going around the country saying, 'That's it; the economy's history; there'll never be a new investment; no more coal; no more resources; no more anything'? How has she felt, given that peddling of deceit, when she has gone back home to Darwin, which is getting itself ready for this $34 billion?

To the member who asked the question: the way she should feel is embarrassed. To the Leader of the Opposition: the problem he has is that every overblown, ridiculous claim he has ever made is now coming back to haunt him, and not one of them will stand up to scrutiny because not one of them is true. It is of no surprise that not one of them is true, because the Leader of the Opposition well knows that, when he sat around a cabinet table and decided that he wanted to be party to putting a price on carbon, he would have been informed of the real impacts of a price on carbon. He has always supported putting a price on carbon. He knows that these claims are false, and his fear campaign is running out of steam every day. He is continuing to conduct himself like a mouse on a treadmill, round and round and round, but it does not get any more true or any more credible just because he keeps saying it. (Time expired)

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

The member for Solomon on a supplementary?

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, Madam Deputy Speaker, I seek leave to table the motion that was put to the Northern Territory parliament and was unanimously passed, condemning Julia Gillard—

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

The member for Solomon will resume her seat. Is leave granted to table the document?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, Deputy Speaker.

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

The Leader of the House is seeking the call?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I table the Leader of the Opposition's transcript from the 7.30 report last night, given that he has not circulated it.