Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you. Mr Abbott has costed his attack on the taxpayer's pocket at around a cumulative $10 billion by 2020. The problem with his $10 billion by 2020 is that the Department of Climate Change has estimated the plan would not see emissions at 2020 at his target of a reduction of five per cent; instead, emissions would increase to 13 to 17 per cent above 1990 levels. If you are going to get to the opposi­tion's claimed target of a five per cent reduction it would cost a further $20 billion including the purchase of overseas permits.

When you cost that out you find that by 2020 the Abbott plan would cost the average Australian household $720 per annum with no compensation. That is the fraud that is involved in that proposal. I reiterate that the alternative plan being developed by the committee on a climate price would ensure that householders are compensated—some people in the poorest circumstances would indeed be overcompensated—so that the impact of the carbon price will be completely offset. Not with Mr Abbott's plan. He will be hitting households—and very often they are big energy consumers because they do not have the wherewithal to have engaged in energy-saving devices and mechanisms—and that includes households in the coalition heartland, for $720 per annum. What a difficulty for the leader of the coalition and for Senator Abetz, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, whose absence from this debate, here and around the country, has been extraordinarily notable. The reason for that is that Senator Abetz, who has this bill before the Senate, simply does not understand the economics of it and has been not engaged in justifying the attack on the average taxpayer that is involved in the legislation.

Look at the question again: if this bill were to pass the Senate today do you support the government's plan to introduce a price on carbon to deal with climate change? The plan has not yet been publicised. It will be in the coming week. And so we have the silly situation for political purposes—

Senator Cash interjecting—

Senator Ian Macdonald interjecting—