Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Senator Wong. I refer the minister to statements made by the secretary of the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency that purchases of international permits by domestically liable parties do not go in to the budget in any way because they are not through government but that companies will nonetheless pass on the costs associated with purchasing such permits. With modelling showing that permits to the value, in 2010 dollars, of $2.7 billion in 2020 and $57 billion in 2050 will be purchased by Australian companies, does the minister agree with Mr Comley that the cost of these billions in international permits will be passed on to all Australians?