Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Senator Wong. Following up on yesterday's question about the government's commitment in the budget that the carbon tax would be budget neutral, I refer the minister to the article in today's Age newspaper which says that the cost of the carbon tax to the budget:

… has blown out to about $4 billion over four years …

It goes on to say:

Most of the extra costs come upfront, from implementing the scheme.

Given that most of the $4 billion in additional costs from the carbon tax will be upfront, can the minister confirm that the carbon tax will put Labor's claims of an early surplus of $3.5 billion in 2012-13 at serious risk?