Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

As I said, ABARES estimates that electricity is about two per cent of dairy farm cash costs. This means the carbon price impact on electricity prices would be about 0.2 per cent of farmers' cash costs. Some dairy processors will be directly liable under the carbon price, but the government is also assisting businesses to lower emissions and improve efficiency. I again refer the Senate to the $200 million Clean Technology Food and Foundries Investment Program. The program has received significant interest from the sector, and I am advised that, on Thursday, 17 May, Dairy Australia was named as one of the recipients of an Energy Efficiency Information Grant. I would also refer the senator to comments from Fonterra—and I might come back to that—about the preparations that that company has been making to reduce its carbon footprint. (Time expired)