Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before I start, I would like to acknowledge the members of Sikh community here in the gallery today. I thank you for your interest. I am sure that many of you up there are suffering from the carbon tax that this government has inflicted upon you. Thank you for coming this afternoon.

I would like to add my contribution to today's matter of public importance on the subject of the adverse effect of the carbon tax on electricity and gas prices. What has been the effect of this tax, a tax that our own Prime Minister promised before the last election not to introduce? We must never forget her exact words: 'There will no carbon tax under a government I lead.' And yet here we are debating that carbon tax. Let us not forget, either, what the Treasurer said before the last election. He said: 'No it's not possible that we're bringing in the carbon tax, that is a hysterically inaccurate claim being made by the Coalition.' Here we are debating the carbon tax, when it was hysterically inaccurate claim that they would bring it in, according to our Treasurer.

To start with, what has been the effect of this tax? The most recent release of inflation figures issued by the Australian Bureau of Statistics details the largest ever increase in electricity prices since modern records have been kept. That is what has happened in the last quarter. Everyone knows that the majority of that increase is because of the carbon tax; the carbon tax is largely responsible.

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