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

Madam Speaker, I congratulate you on your election. My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to this electricity bill from Bernadette and Mike Thompson who live with their six-year old son Alexander in Lugarno in the electorate of Banks. Given that this bill has gone up by over $400, to $1,157, will the Prime Minister apologise to the Thompsons and other families, particularly those in Greater Western Sydney where the carbon tax has contributed up to 80 per cent of their recent price rises?

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

On a point of order, Madam Speaker: I ask that the letter from which the member for Macquarie is reading be tabled.

Mr Hockey interjecting—

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

Order! The member for North Sydney should be careful when talking about abuse of the standing orders.

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

On the point of order, Madam Speaker: if the Leader of the House wants to have a document tabled, he can do what the opposition does—ask for it at the end of answers or questions. Interrupting the answer from the Prime Minister to give the Prime Minister time to get an answer is outside the standing orders. If he wants to get it tabled, he can do it at the end.

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

On the point of order, Madam Speaker: given that the last account had a box on it, it is not unreasonable to ask the opposition, if they want an accurate answer, to put forward the facts.

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

The member asking the question has not seen fit to table the documents. I am not sure why they are being covered up but I suspect it is because what we know to be the truth is transparent from the face of the bill or associated documents. The truth about electricity pricing in New South Wales is that carbon pricing, from 1 July, did cause a 10 per cent increase in electricity pricing. That is what happened. That is what the regulator determined.

That increase followed a large number of price rises in electricity in New South Wales which are deeply concerning to me because of the pressure they have put on the families of New South Wales—without assistance flowing from the state government. I am concerned, and I have publicly said this, about the approach being taken which is leading to the so-called gold plating of the network. This is a market failure which basically means that, the more they roll out the network, the more electricity assets get to earn. I am concerned too about what is happening with dividend streams to state governments and the impact that has on people like the family in New South Wales the member referred to—I think they are, as she said, actually constituents of the electorate of Banks.

So carbon pricing in New South Wales has caused a 10 per cent rise. What has the government done to assist? A family like that—I do not have their income details available to me—may well have been eligible for the tax cut. If, due to the need to care for the child, one of the parents involved works part time, they may well have gone from paying tax to paying no tax, because now you do not pay tax on the first $18,200 you earn. The family may have been eligible for the family payment increases—certainly they would have seen an increase if they are family payment recipients. We brought in those measures because we knew there would be a flowthrough impact on families.

Let us for once have the opposition try to have a mature debate about the facts. Let us see an end to the reckless negativity and to the false fear campaign. The track record so far today is one bill referred to and misrepresented in this parliament—it actually showed a 9.13 per cent increase because of carbon pricing. The nature of the misrepresentation of this bill I cannot judge because the documents are being covered up.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You are a piece of work.

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

I am not covering up the documents. I seek leave to table—

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

On a point of order, Madam Speaker: the Leader of the Opposition just referred to me as a 'piece of work'. I require that to be withdrawn.

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

I ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to withdraw.

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

In the interests of transparency, I am more than happy to seek leave to table the document.

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

Is leave granted?

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

Yes, but transparency would require it to be tabled before the question.

Leave granted.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! The member for Mackellar is warned.