David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

A few points that were made by the previous two contributors to this debate need some comment. Senator Whish-Wilson was just talking about the so-called windfall to the hydro-electric corporation in Tasmania as a result of the so-called carbon tax that was introduced by the previous Labor government. There is no doubt that they did have an opportunity to make extra money at that time. But that money didn't come from nowhere; that money was coming because they were able to charge higher energy prices to Tasmanians—to Tasmanian households and to Tasmanian businesses—because, as part of the National Electricity Market, the carbon tax had increased the national price of energy and therefore they were able to charge more for their energy. That meant that Tasmanian households and Tasmanian businesses were paying higher energy costs and that Hydro, because it's renewable and was not having to contribute the same degree of cost through the carbon tax, was making a windfall. But make no mistake: that windfall was coming at the expense of Tasmanians and Tasmanian businesses—Tasmanian small businesses, which Senator Whish-Wilson is saying this amendment will assist. I think there was also a mention of mountain bike paths as one of the magnificent things that were delivered by the previous Tasmanian state Labor-Green government. Most of the mountain bike paths that exist in Tasmania—that have been built—have been funded in large part by the federal Liberal government since 2013.

The fact is that, by most economic metrics, prior to March 2014 Tasmania was languishing at the bottom of the pack relative to other states. We were seen as the poor cousin right across the nation, no matter which metric you looked at. That turned around after March 2014. There was an immediate improvement in business confidence just because of the election of the majority Hodgman Liberal government. There was an immediate improvement in confidence that resulted in an immediate increase in business and other investment, which led to Tasmania now being around the middle or higher in those same economic metrics.

So let's not pretend and try to rewrite history that the Labor-Green state government was somehow a miraculous government that just happened to miss out on all the good things showing up because it lost the March 2014 election but all the good things that they did came out afterwards. The reality is that it was the election of the majority Hodgman Liberal government that provided confidence for businesses in Tasmania to make the investments.

The CHAIR: Senator Bushby, I appreciate the passion of the Tasmanians in the chamber this morning, but, in the same way that I cautioned Senator McKim, I have been listening very closely to your contribution, and we are discussing the amendment that's been proposed.

I did mention small business, which is what the amendment is about.

The CHAIR: You mentioned small business once. Could you focus particularly on the amendment before the chamber.

I think I've sufficiently corrected the record to make sure that Hansard adequately doesn't record unchallenged those incorrect assertions that were made by previous speakers.