Senate debates
Thursday, 3 December 2015
Questions without Notice
Environment
2:08 pm
Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source
Sadly, I am. Despite the success we are having with the Emissions Reduction Fund delivering reductions in emissions at an average price of $13.12 per tonne, those opposite are committed to bringing back a carbon tax, and the targets that Mr Shorten has been talking about, of 45 per cent, would see a carbon tax running in the range of $209 per tonne. That is $209 per tonne for their tax on electricity, compared with emissions reductions being delivered under our policies at around $13 per tonne. That is the difference. Those opposite just want a tax on electricity. We actually want to see effective delivery of emissions reductions at the lowest possible price. The lowest possible price we are delivering at $13 per tonne versus their $209 per tonne tax on all Australian businesses, households and investment, which can only harm the Australian economy, without delivering the types of effective emissions reductions our government is delivering. (Time expired)
Tibor Majlath
Posted on 1 Jan 2016 9:37 am
The senator mentions the Coalition's abatement cost of $13.12/tonne in the same breath with Labor's alleged carbon price of $209/tonne.
The first is a cost to government in 2015. The second is a hypothetical, over-inflated, carbon price in the year 2030.
Seems you can use any unrelated figure from any future time period to make a case. What are we to believe?
At least Greg Hunt, Minister for the Environment, made an effort to compare LNP and Labor abatement costs back in 26 November 2015 which just added to the confusion.
It is hard enough to understand complex issues even when politicians are not spouting such naive and conflicting information. The quality of the current debate over climate change, emissions and the carbon tax is not an auspicious sign that we will have a 'mature debate' on raising the GST on electricity, gas and other essential services in the hope of "keeping the cost of living down" under the guise of 'tax reform'.