Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to this power bill from Garry Gibson, who runs the Beau Monde hotel in Doncaster in my electorate. This bill clearly shows that the carbon tax has directly increased their off-peak electricity charges by 55 per cent, and they will be paying almost $10,000 a year more. Isn't it true, Prime Minister, that while Beau Monde cannot pass on their higher costs without losing customers, the government can simply pass the cost of its $120 billion of— (Time expired)

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

Thank you very much to the member for Menzies. The member raises with me the circumstances of a hotel. The opposition has raised the circumstances of hotels and carbon pricing in this parliament before. They raised the Belair hotel, and at the time they completely misrepresented the position, because when you looked at the bill of the Belair hotel the carbon adjustment was less than 10 per cent of the overall electricity bill and not the increase of 45 per cent falsely claimed by the member for Boothby. So the member for Menzies is continuing this negative fear campaign—

Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: it is important for ministers to tell the truth. In the question that the Prime Minister is referring to, I referred to a 45 per cent increase in the off-peak power rate, and that is—

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

The member for Boothby will resume his seat.

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

I thank the member for Boothby for precisely proving my point. When you looked at the bill of the Belair hotel, what you saw was a carbon tax gain of less than 10 per cent. What you saw on that bill was, in action, what we said would always result from carbon pricing—that is, that people would see electricity price increases of up to 10 per cent. That was exactly what was always said by the government. Because of that, we have provided the household assistance that the minister has just gone through: pension increases and family payment increases. We have made sure people have tax cuts. All these things are jeopardised by the fact that the opposition now has to make $70 billion worth of cuts because of the reckless approach they have taken—

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

The Prime Minister will return to the question before the chair.

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

to making promises. I am sure the member for Menzies is engaged in exactly the same trick and maneuver as the member for Boothby. That is, on proper examination, when the hotel's bills are looked at the claims being made by the member for Menzies will not be found to be true. It also continues to amaze me that Liberal members who are here, now interjecting and carrying on, did not say one critical word when the Liberal government of Western Australia was responsible for electricity price hikes of more than 60 per cent, or when the Liberal government in New South Wales is there gouging dividends out of power companies and passing that extra cost through to consumers and small businesses. There was not one word of criticism of 50, 60, 70 per cent price rises.

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

Madam Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: under the standing orders, apart from slandering members of the public who are simply having their issues raised, she is now not even attempting to answer the question she was asked; she is talking about other issues altogether—

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

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat.

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

The fact that the Manager of Opposition Business would say that by way of interjection just proves how out of touch the opposition is. He thinks a 50, 60 or 70 per cent increase for an Australian family or a small business does not matter. Well, Australian families and small businesses think that they matter. The opposition might be running a protection racket for their Liberal mates in the states when these increases come through, but we are working on these electricity—

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: after insulting people who want their issues raised here, the Prime Minister has insulted the coalition, and I ask her to withdraw that.

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

I think you will find that Reps Practice is quite clear about groups being misrepresented.

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My constituent would like this document tabled. Therefore, I ask leave for that to occur.

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

Given the success of the last time the member for Boothby part-tabled a document, I will allow that to be tabled. What's more, whilst I am here I will table, from thetelegraph.com.au, 'Carbon tax not to blame for power price hikes'. I also table, consistent with the precedent asked for by the member for North Sydney, another photo of the member for North Sydney, so he can look at that as well.

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

Madam Deputy Speaker, on a point of order.

Government members interjecting—

Mr Robert interjecting—

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

Order! The member for Mackellar has the right to be heard in silence, as does anyone else in this place.

Mrs Mirabella interjecting—

The member for Indi is not assisting her colleague.

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

Madam Deputy Speaker, in the Practice, you have powerto rule out of order behaviour which is aimed at disrupting the orderliness of that parliament. The Leader of the House is continuing to do it with the tabling of matter which is not relevant, plus holding up props, which is not within the standing orders either, and I ask you to ask him to simply desist.

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

The member for Mackellar will resume her seat. The issue of the tabling of documents was dealt with by a statement from the Speaker the other day. On the other point, if I did as the member for Mackellar required, I think she would find a very empty chamber. The member for Corangamite has the call.