Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. On 25 May 2011 the Prime Minister told the Australian people that the carbon price would be a $10-a-week hit on the average person at the supermarket checkout. Will the Prime Minister stand by his promise and guarantee that grocery bills will now fall by that $10 a week?

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence! The question has been asked.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

The member for Jagajaga!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I certainly stand by my statements that, on average, this is a $550 hit on Australian households every single year. I absolutely stand by my statements. I certainly do not necessarily stand by the distortions of my statements from the Leader of the Opposition. But I do make this point—that is, the Leader of the Opposition loves the carbon tax.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moreton!

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He just loves it. He's got this smile on his face because every time people's power bills go up there he is, happy that the carbon tax is doing its job.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on a point of order: if the Prime Minister is not willing to give the guarantee to the Australian people he should sit down.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order; resume your seat. The Prime Minister has the call.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I make these fundamental points to the Leader of the Opposition. The carbon tax is a nine per cent impost on power bills. It is a $9 billion handbrake on our economy and it adds $550 a year to the cost of the average Australian household. So every single Australian should be better off when the carbon tax is gone. The Leader of the Opposition is in denial about the impact of the carbon tax on Australian families.

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister has the call! There will be silence.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He is in denial about the result of the last election. The Leader of the Opposition should just, for once, be fair dinkum. He said and all his colleagues said that they would terminate the carbon tax. The chance to terminate the carbon tax is now, and the Leader of the Opposition should make an honest politician of himself and take it.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moreton is warned and, unfortunately, he seems to have been moved closer to the chair, so his behaviour had better be more behaved!

An honourable member: Or on your way out!

Or on the way out. I call the honourable member for Capricornia.