BRADBURY:
Yesterday we saw the depths to which the Coalition will stoop in the carbon scare campaign. Yesterday we saw Senator Brandis blame the loss of jobs at Fairfax on the introduction of a carbon price, when of course it's incorrect. The carbon price was not a factor at all in those job losses that were announced yesterday.
What we're seeing today from the Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey in a statement that he's released is he is seeking to blame a 66 per cent increase in electricity prices in Sydney over the last five years on a carbon price that won't be introduced for another couple of weeks. This carbon scare campaign has reached ridiculously low depths when it comes to Mr Hockey's allegations today that a 66 per cent increase in electricity prices in Sydney over the last five years is in fact as a result of the carbon price. Clearly this is further evidence, a further indication of the fact that Mr Hockey and the Liberals firstly can't do their numbers - and that might explain why they have a $70 billion black hole - but it also points attention to the fact that these price rises for electricity that are being given the green light by State Governments, many of them Liberal State Governments, are being waved through by Mr Abbott and Mr Hockey. It seems as they when it comes to State price rises to electricity, Mr Abbott's not interested, he wants to look the other way and so does Mr Hockey. A 66 per cent increase in electricity prices in Sydney over the last five years and now they're blaming it on a carbon price that hasn't even been introduced. More carbon lies, and it's about time that Mr Hockey and Mr Abbott were honest with the Australian people.
JOURNALIST:
Wayne Swan says the carbon tax will only add a tiny fraction to the cost of power. How much is the increase?
BRADBURY:
If you look at the figures that were released by IPART in New South Wales, we're talking about the latest round of increases with the carbon price somewhere in the order of around half or a little bit less than half. In the context of the allegation Mr Hockey is making of an increase in electricity prices of 66 per cent in the last five years, it's clear that none of that increase can be attributed to the carbon price. Electricity prices have been going up. The causes of those increases, in the large part, need to be directed to the policies and the actions of State Governments and increasingly Liberal State Governments.
JOURNALIST:
David, it appears that from today's Caucus meeting that Labor MPs are concerned that constituents do think that these price rises are in relation to the carbon tax, so how do you combat that?
BRADBURY:
Well, there is no doubt that Mr Abbott and his team will seek to blame everything that occurs in this country from the first of July that is adverse to the carbon price. Every increase that occurs in electricity Mr Abbott will try and pin on the carbon price, but what is coming out, and the evidence that is being supported by that which was released by IPART and by other State Governments around the country is that the carbon price will have an impact on prices of less than one per cent - 0.7 per cent - and on electricity, that impact will be somewhere in the order of, on average, $3.30 per week. Average household assistance will be at $10.10. The important thing that people need to look at when they see increases in electricity is that, to the extent that they are driven by a carbon price, and that will be a moderate part of the increase, they will be receiving assistance, because we have a comprehensive household assistance package. But the 66 per cent increase in electricity in Sydney over the last five years that Mr Hockey is talking about has been inflicted upon the people of Sydney without any compensation. We're delivering compensation because this is a measure that will help us transform our economy and build a stronger economy with less dependence on fossil fuels.
JOURNALIST:
Do you concede that this is a difficult sell for Labor MPs in their electorates if their constituents believe that the carbon tax is responsible for the price hikes?
BRABDURY:
I will concede that Mr Abbott will stoop to the lowest of depths when it comes to deceiving people about the impact of the carbon price. What we've heard is that it's not going to be the cobra strike anymore, it'll be a python squeeze, and that's because the 'carbon armageddon' that Mr Abbott has been warning us of is not going to happen on the first of July. People will wake up, the birds will still be chirping and the sun will rise, and at that point Mr Abbott is going to look around and try and find anything he can to pin on the carbon price. I think the Australian people are more sensible than that and certainly as part of the Government, I'll be out there trying to inform people of the true costs of what are driving up power prices and that the carbon price is only a very small part of that.
JOURNALIST:
Haven't the Australian people just stopped listening? The Prime Minister lied to them at the last election, they don't care anymore about the carbon tax?
BRADBURY:
Well, that reality of a carbon tax will be felt by all on the first of July. It's not the most popular policy that's ever been implemented in this country, I'll grant you that, but it is an important long-term reform. Important because on the one hand, it will cut greenhouse gas emissions so that we can play our part in tackling climate change, but it will also drive investment in clean energy. That's important because if we want to build a strong economy for the future, we should have an economy that's less dependent on fossil fuels. That's what we're building. Hard decisions, the right decisions for this country, are not always popular ones, but in the end people will see that the consequences of the carbon price are not nearly as dire as Mr Abbott has suggested and the country will move on.
JOURNALIST:
It's an unfortunate reality for you though in New South Wales, South Australia, in September when they open up their bills and it's 20 per cent up and they know there's a carbon tax. That's what's going to hurt you, isn't it?
BRADBURY:
And look, you could look at Western Australia where power prices have gone up by over 50 per cent since the Barnett Government has been in office. Of course, everything that goes wrong, whether it's related to the economy or not, Mr Abbott will seek to blame the carbon price for it. Today we're hearing the 66 per cent increases in power prices over the last five years are as a result of the carbon price when it hasn't even come into effect. We'll get on with trying to inform the Australian people so that they are able to see the impact, the true impact, of the carbon price and the benefits that it will bring to the economy in the long term.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible)
BRADBURY:
I have great optimism that we can continue to make the case and that over time people will see the benefits of the difficult decisions that we are taking today. I recall very well the period where the former Howard Government was introducing the Goods and Services Tax and similar things were being said. And in fact, there are some people, whose longevity in this place is such that not only are they here today but they were around back then and if you trawl through the hansard, and you trawl through their transcripts you'll see that the reality of politics is that it's difficult to make reforms like this but if they are the right thing for the country and they're implemented well, then over time people will see the benefits they have for the economy.