Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question without notice is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to this power bill from Bunny Bite Foods in my electorate that clearly shows that the off-peak rate has increased by over 68 per cent. As a result of the carbon tax, they will be paying an extra $32,000 a year. If Bunny Bite Foods could not trust the Prime Minister to keep her promise that 'There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead,' why should they believe anything that the Prime Minister says in the future?

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would ask that the—

Opposition members: Sit him down!

Well, if you want information, surely there is no objection to tabling the document. I ask that the member table the document.

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

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Prime Minister has the call.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. The issue is actually at the discretion of the member to seek leave.

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

I thank the member for his question. The member would be aware that I have taken a large number of questions like this about the impact of carbon pricing on small business, and when the opposition has chosen to table the documents and we have analysed those documents, and, on occasion, spoken to the small businesses in question, what we have found is that the facts are very, very different from what the opposition comes in here and says as part of its reckless fear campaign. We find that they are two very different things, because they have always been two very different things—the truth versus the opposition's reckless fear campaign. So if the member at any point chooses to table the documents, we will look at them. But I would make the following point to the member, as I have made in this House before: small businesses are not directly paying the carbon price; that is paid by Australia's biggest polluters. Yes, there are costs that do flow through to small businesses. We have said that that would occur, and one of the reasons that we assisted households through tax cuts, through increased family payments, through increased pensions, is that we recognise that a number of businesses would pass those costs through.

But let us be clear about the dimension: 0.7 per cent, less than one per cent, of CPI, of cost of living. Let us be clear about the dimension for families: an average of $10.10 assistance a week, which is more than the impact that families would expect to see.

On the question of small businesses, in terms of some facts that the member might want to be aware of, the Big Switch Projects report has been released, and this actually went to the costs of 66 businesses. It looked at their bills and tried to assess what has happened with carbon pricing. The Big Switch, of course, is a project being led to try and get people a cheaper electricity deal, and not because of the impact of carbon pricing but because of the impacts we have seen around the country of 50, 60, 70 per cent increases—the increases that the opposition from time to time denies exist, the 60, 70 per cent increases that we have seen in parts of the country. What this project found from those 66 businesses was that the average rise was 11 per cent, the equivalent of 2c per kilowatt hour.

So I would say to the member once again: do not be misled by the Leader of the Opposition into following his political tactics of reckless negativity. Instead, try and deal with those people in your electorate on the basis of the facts and what is actually happening. If the member wants to table the document then we will look at it and ascertain the facts.

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

Is the member for Wright seeking to table the document?

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, please, Madam Speaker. On indulgence, with reference to the bill, the carbon tax charge has a line item—

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

The member for Wright will resume his 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

He did not say it.

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

I asked the member for Wright if he was seeking to table the document, and he said—

Mr Buchholz interjecting—

The member for Wright is seeking to table the document. Is leave granted?

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

He's a good bloke; yes.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

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

The member for Sturt will resume his seat.