Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Palmer United Party) Share this | Hansard source

I inform the chamber that this is not my first speech. I rise today to support the repeal of the carbon tax which now includes the Palmer United Party's key amendments, which require the full cost savings from the removal of the carbon tax to be passed on to all Australians. With the inclusion of the Palmer United Party's historic amendments, the resultant package of carbon tax repeal bills, the Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2014 and seven related bills, will now deliver full and immediate benefits to all Australians, including families, pensioners, single parents, the elderly, low-income workers, businesses, sporting organisations, schools, farms, producers, manufacturers and hospitals.

The Palmer United Party's nation-changing amendments will deliver many real and immediate benefits to Australians and, importantly, will ensure that Australians experience a reduction in the cost of their power bills. For too long Australians have been lumbered with the cost of the carbon tax which has added to the cost of living and doing business here in Australia. Australian families should not have to bear the cost of an unfair, unjust and anti-competitive tax, which only serves to hurt the Australian community.

The Palmer United Party's changes will put money back into the pockets of all Australians. The Palmer United Party's amendments, which have been incorporated into the resultant package of bills, include measures such as: ensuring that electricity and natural gas retailers and refrigeration gas importers are required to pass on the full cost savings to all Australians resulting from the repeal of the carbon tax; ensuring that companies are obliged to ensure they do not exploit customers by not passing on cost savings from the carbon tax repeal; making it a contravention of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to engage in price exploitation where the price for the supply does not reflect the full pass through of all the corporation's cost savings relating to the supply; strengthening the powers of the ACCC to require companies to explain the way in which cost savings have been passed through to customers; and placing general obligations on electricity and natural gas retailers to provide information to the ACCC and customers on the cost savings that have been or will be passed through to consumers.

As a result, retailers of electricity and gas will now need to do two things. Firstly, they will need to give a carbon tax removal substantiation statement to the ACCC, setting out the retailer's estimate on an average annual percentage price or annual dollar price basis, of its cost savings resulting from the carbon tax repeal that have been, are being or will be passed on to consumers during the 2014-15 financial year. In addition, retailers will also need to provide information that substantiates their estimate. Secondly, they will also need to inform customers by 31 December 2014 of their average estimated cost savings for 2014-15 resulting from the repeal of the carbon tax that have been or will be passed through to consumers.

The Palmer United Party have, through the incorporation of our amendments into the resultant package of carbon tax repeal bills, ensured that all Australians will be empowered with the information they need to ensure they will receive the full and immediate cost savings from the removal of the carbon tax. The Palmer United Party strongly believe that all Australians deserve to know how cost-saving information will be passed on to them. Accordingly, the Palmer United Party has incorporated into the package of carbon tax repeal bills an obligation for electricity and natural gas suppliers to provide clear information to the ACCC and to their customers about the way in which suppliers will pass on the cost savings resulting from the carbon tax repeal. Cost savings can be calculated on percentage or dollar value terms. Savings might be calculated at the specific customer level or as averages across groups of customers. This information must be provided to the customers by 31 December 2014. In most instances, suppliers will directly inform consumers of the cost savings resulting from the carbon tax repeal through the information on invoices or in specific bill inserts or brochures. In addition, a supplier may also provide information on a website or web link to electronic invoices or statements.

The package of carbon tax repeal bills, inclusive of the Palmer United Party's amendments, make it clear that information should be readily accessible to a customer and that the supplier should expressly ensure that customers are clearly made aware of the information and how it may be accessed. Importantly, this means that the information cannot be buried in small print on an invoice or hidden on a website. It would be expected that, at a minimum, this information was clearly highlighted on the front page of an invoice or accessed directly from the home page of the supplier's main customer-facing website.

The package of carbon tax repeal bills, inclusive of the Palmer United Party's historic amendments, reflect a balance between the need for public and individual customers to receive clear information about the way in which cost savings will be passed on and the potential compliance costs for industry of imposing any new obligation. Importantly, there is flexibility for power suppliers, including how the cost saving information is calculated and how it is communicated, but, also, there is a very clear obligation to ensure the information reaches every customer.

Palmer United Party has gone a great lengths to ensure that Australians are provided with the information they need and the protective mechanisms they deserve to ensure they receive the full cost savings associated with the removal of the carbon tax. The package of carbon tax repeal bills, inclusive of the Palmer United Party's amendments, will put much needed money back into the pockets of Australians. For too long, Australian families have been hurting—paying high prices for power bills and basic commodities—because of the carbon tax and it is time for things to change.

For too long, Australia businesses have faced increased operating costs which have hurt their ability to employ people, to compete and to grow in the marketplace. For too long, Australian producers, farmers and manufacturers and other operators have struggled to keep their heads above water with the increasing weight of operating costs. This must change before it is too late. Australia must take care of our own—no-one else will.

The Palmer United Party cares about the people of Australia. We are supporting the removal of the carbon tax and ensuring that the resultant financial benefits now flow to the people of Australia. The Palmer United Party's historic amendments, which have been incorporated into the resultant package of carbon tax repeal bills, guarantee Australians all over our great country will benefit financially and experience reduced power bills.

In closing, the Palmer United Party has secured important changes to the package of carbon tax repeal bills that will help Australians get the full and immediate benefits from the abolition of the carbon tax, ensuring the Abbott government is held to its word and that consumers get the full power price cuts that they deserve—for this is the Australian way. For Palmer United, it is the only way. This is what Australia voted on in September 2013—to abolish the carbon tax and to receive the benefits of the cost savings.

Palmer United is listening to Australians. We respect Australians; we are committed to honouring their wishes and the Palmer United Party is delivering on this. As the leader of the Palmer United Party in the Senate, and on behalf of the Palmer United Party, I support the package of carbon tax repeal bills inclusive of the key amendments secured by the Palmer United Party.