Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to inform the House of a rather unfortunate contribution by the Minister for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation to one of the local newspapers in the Hughes electorate, the Sutherland Shire Leader. An article published on 30 May this year exposed the fact that the Menai Swim Academy, a small swimming centre in my electorate, is being slugged with an increase in their electricity costs of $10,000 in this financial year alone, directly attributable to Labor's toxic carbon tax. The minister attempted to downplay the punitive effects of his beloved carbon tax by creating the impression that small businesses such as the Menai Swim Academy were able to apply for grants under the Community Energy Efficiency Program and that this was all a terrible scare campaign of the coalition.

However, the only problem is that small businesses such as the Menai Swim Academy are simply not able to apply for any grant under the Community Energy Efficiency Program. Either the minister was not across his brief, or he was wilfully attempting to mislead local residents and trying to cover up the shameful fact that Labor's carbon tax—the largest and most damaging carbon tax in world, one that is set to increase even further in the coming weeks—will force up the costs of children's swimming lessons. I call on the minister to apologise and to start admitting the damage that his carbon tax is doing. (Time expired)