BRADBURY:
Yesterday we saw the parent company of Brumby's Bakery issue a memorandum to all stores asking them, recommending them to pull down the leaflet that has been distributed by Tony Abbott as part of his carbon scare campaign.
We warned at the time this leaflet was being distributed by Mr Abbott that it raised real concerns about the prospect of putting businesses in danger of falling foul of the law by misleading their consumers. We warned people about putting these posters up at the time but clearly Mr Abbott, as part of his reckless and irresponsible scare campaign is now, through his conduct, putting businesses in danger of falling on the wrong side of the law.
I remind all businesses that when it comes to representations you make in relation to your prices and the carbon price, be truthful, make sure you don't mislead your consumers. If you're out there jacking up prices and falsely blaming those prices on the carbon price, you face the risk of falling foul of the Australian consumer laws. We have very strong and very tough laws, and those laws are about one thing and one thing alone, and that's about making sure that consumers are not misled and not ripped off.
There are penalties, such as fines for individuals of $6,600 and there are sanctions of up to $1.1 million for companies that are involved in providing false and misleading representations to their customers.
What we have seen through Mr Abbott and this irresponsible and reckless scare campaign, the latest example of which is these leaflets that are being distributed, is that in encouraging these businesses to put these leaflets up, Mr Abbott is now putting businesses in a position where they may mislead their consumers and ultimately fall of the law.
JOURNALIST:
The general manager, I think it was, of Brumby's has fallen on his sword and resigned, do you welcome that, do you think it's appropriate?
BRADBURY:
Look, I think that individual positions within particular organisations, that's ultimately a matter for those organisations. But I'd make this point about Mr Abbott's scare campaign. We know that he's been out there making reckless and irresponsible claims about the carbon price. He's been doing that for some time now. The danger for businesses around the country is they could get drawn into his cynical, irresponsible scare campaign. If they listen to what he has had to say, and they go putting up posters that are misleading that he has provided to them, they may well find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
JOURNALIST:
He was in Brisbane today at another pie shop, stirring up some pies and pastries, indicating that the company would be forced to lift his prices, with refrigeration costs. How do you respond to that?
BRADBURY:
We've always said that there will be some modest price rises. In fact the Treasury modeling suggests that prices will rise by less than one per cent overall – by 0.7 per cent. Of course there will be some modest price rises but in those situations where a business faces those modest price rises, they will have to make judgements based upon the impact of the carbon price on their costs and they will have to make sure any price rises are in balance and in proportion with the increase in the cost they are facing.
JOURNALIST:
About one or two per cent is okay?
BRADBURY:
It'll be a matter for the individual business, and it really is a case of businesses having a look at what the impact on their costs might be and accordingly, if they feel they can and they are willing to adjust their prices, doing it on that basis. But what is not acceptable is to simply jack up your prices without any justification and to falsely blame those price rises on the carbon price.
JOURNALIST:
Do you agree with Sam Dastyari that the Greens are extremists along the lines of One Nation?
BRADBURY:
Look, the values of the Australian Labor Party are very different to the values of the Australian Greens Party and whilst as a Government we are determined to work with all parties in the Parliament, let's be very clear about this: we saw in very stark relief in recent weeks the Australian Greens Party standing up side by side with the Australian Liberal Party to vote against the Government and to block offshore processing. When it comes to preference matters, ultimately they're a matter for the state organisation, but can I make this point. Here in my electorate, I didn't receive any preferences from the Greens at the last election and I'm certainly not out there canvassing or expecting any from them in the future.
We will stand on Australian Labor Party values, that's what we're about and that's what we're delivering in Government.
JOURNALIST:
Do you agree it's in the Party's best interests to really clearly show the difference between Labor and the Greens and this marriage of convenience is hurting you out in this part of [inaudible]
BRADBURY:
Matters regarding preferences are a matter for state organisations but what I will say is the values of the Australian Labor Party, clearly, are different to the values of the Australian Greens Party.
JOURNALIST:
But it's quite extreme comparing them to One Nation, and suggesting that by putting them last they're a distasteful organisation. Is that a bit over the top?
BRADBURY:
When it comes to preference matters, they are a matter for the Party organisation but very clearly, the values of the Australian Labor Party are very different to the values of the Australian Greens Party.
JOURNALIST:
But you're effectively in coalition with them in Government, you're endorsing their policies, so how can you say that when that sort of weekly, or fortnightly meeting with the Prime Minister and the Greens, you are in fact an effective coalition.
BRADBURY:
We are determined to work with all parties within the Parliament and we do on a regular basis. Some items of legislation we get through with the support of the independents, sometimes we rely on the support of the Greens and increasingly infrequently we actually have the support of the Coalition. We are here to govern and we will work with all parties in the Parliament but let's make no mistake about it. The values of the Australian Labor Party are very different to the values of the Australian Greens Party and we saw that on display during the debate around border protection when the Greens, the Australian Greens stood side by side with the Liberal Party to vote down proposals for offshore processing.
JOURNALIST:
Aside from that piece of legislation, what other bits of the Greens philosophy that you perhaps endorse as a label as being extremist?
BRADBURY:
Look, I'm not going to go into any more specifics but I think on that particular case there's no question. The view the Australian Greens Party has taken in relation to offshore processing is certainly a very long way from mainstream thinking.
JOURNALIST:
Are you saying the Greens did not preference you or put the Liberals ahead of you?
BRADBURY:
The Greens did not provide preferences to me in my electorate at the last election.
JOURNALIST:
They made no recommendation?
BRADBURY:
No.
JOURNALIST:
How do you think the Greens are particularly on the nose in western Sydney?
BRADBURY:
Oh look, I'm not a political commentator, I'll leave those matters to others but I'll simply make the important point that the values of the Australian Labor Party are very different to the values of the Australian Greens Party.
JOURNALIST:
But Tony Abbott says you're basically endorsing their policies, with the carbon tax, onshore processing, apart from the Bill that was knocked back, he's basically saying that you are implementing many of the Greens policies.
BRADBURY:
Well first point to make is pricing carbon was a Liberal Party policy for many years, it's just that they've back flipped on that one. Can I make the point that when it comes to endorsements of the policies of the Australian Greens, Tony Abbott endorsed the policies of the Australian Greens Party when his Liberal Party people stood up in the Parliament, stood up in the Senate side by side with the Greens and voted against offshore processing. Tony Abbott, when it came to offshore processing was out there endorsing the policies of the Australian Greens Party.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think though that it's a slap in the face for the general secretary of the Party to use such emotive and extreme language in the context of the minority government and the dependency of Labor to at least keep the Greens on side?
BRADBURY:
Well these are matters for the organisational wing but I make the point that we are determined to work with all parties in the Parliament. We've got a very good record of having done that, having achieved passage of a very large part of our agenda, but there will be occasions when we've seen there is obstruction of the Government's agenda; one clear example of that was when the Liberal Party stood side by side with the Australian Greens Party to vote against offshore processing.
JOURNALIST:
Are you a delegate to the Party conference next week? Are you attending?
BRADBURY:
Yes I will be.
JOURNALIST:
So will you support Sam Dastyari's motion that Labor no longer provide the Greens with automatic preference treatment and in future preference negotiations, as you're entitled to vote for or against it?
BRADBURY:
I haven't seen any motions that have been brought forward for the agenda for the upcoming conference and I'll consider them, as all delegates will, in good faith when the relevant conference papers are provided.
JOURNALIST:
So you haven't even seen that motion?
BRADBURY:
The conference papers have not yet been provided. Thanks.