Liberal Party of Australia : Tony Abbott doorstop interview with Greg Hunt MP, Melbourne

01/07/12

Subjects: Julia Gillard's carbon tax; 

EO&E..............................................................................................................................................................

TONY ABBOTT:

Ok, look it's great to be here in Melbourne today to officially launch my campaign to rid Australia of this carbon tax. The most positive message that I can give to the Australian people right now is that if they elect a Coalition government, there will be no carbon tax. On day one of a new government, the instructions will go to the public service - start preparing the legislation. On day one of a new Parliament, the carbon tax repeal legislation will be introduced. That is my pledge to the people of Australia. If you elect a Coalition government, there will be no carbon tax and I can be believed when I say there will be no carbon tax under a government I lead.

Now Helen Kroger, John Nguyen, Greg Hunt and I have just been to visit the Romeo household. These are decent, ordinary people. They are the forgotten families of Australia and they are just one of the millions of Australian families that will be worse off, even on the Government's own figures, under this carbon tax. The thing about the carbon tax is that it will hit every Australian family's cost of living. It will make every Australian job less secure and it won't actually reduce emissions because emissions go up, not down, by 8 per cent, according to the Government's own figures, by 2020.

So it is a bad tax based on a lie and I think that the phrase that will haunt this Prime Minister every day until the next election is the big pre-election carbon tax lie of hers before the last election, "there will be no carbon tax under the government I lead".

So Australia, this campaign is now on. It is now on. What do you think of this carbon tax? What do you think of prime ministers who tell lies before elections? Well, this is your chance to pass judgment on this bad tax put in place by a bad Government.

Ok, do we have any questions?

QUESTION:

The Government says that you're running a scare campaign. What's your reaction to those comments?

TONY ABBOTT:

This is a truth campaign. The whole point of a carbon tax is to put prices up. That's the whole point of a carbon tax. If it doesn't put up the price of power, if it doesn't put up the price of fuel, it just doesn't work and the trouble is when the power price goes up, every time you turn on a light, you pay. Every time you open the fridge, you pay. Every time you go to the airport or get on a bus or order a cup of coffee, you pay. So this is a truth campaign and, of course, the fundamental truth is that this Prime Minister wasn't straight with the Australian people before the last election.

QUESTION:

Isn't similar to the GST though in it it's a bit of fear-mongering and eventually people will just get over it.

TONY ABBOTT:

It is radically different for a whole host of reasons. First of all the GST was a replacement tax. Second, the GST was an entirely orthodox economic reform and, third and most importantly, John Howard went to the election and sought a mandate for a GST. So his political conduct was entirely honourable, unlike the conduct of this Prime Minister over this particular tax.

QUESTION:

Do you still think Whyalla will be wiped out?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, the only reason OneSteel is still operating in Whyalla today is because of the $64 million in carbon tax compensation that the Government has given it and does anyone think that that money would have been forthcoming but for the campaign that Greg Hunt and Sophie Mirabella and I waged about the impact of the carbon tax on the steel industry?

GREG HUNT:

I might add something here. The question for the Prime Minister today is why did she give Whyalla, through OneSteel, $64 million if she didn't believe that there was going to be a wrecking ball through the steel works? And the other thing is of course today is the day that the Prime Minister should apologise to the Australian people for breaking her word before the election.

QUESTION:

What will be the status of cash payments to generators under your roll back?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well while the carbon tax is in place, compensation will continue. Once the carbon tax has gone, there's no need for compensation.

QUESTION:

So that just rolls on until it is repealed, is that right?

TONY ABBOTT:

As I said, while the carbon tax is there, the compensation stays. Once the carbon tax has gone, there's no need for compensation.

QUESTION:

What would you do to address the rising cost of distribution and power bills as far greater than the carbon cost. What are you going to do?

TONY ABBOTT:

I accept there are a range of factors that are driving prices up, but the carbon tax is going to make everything much, much worse and the whole point of government is 'do no harm', don't make bad situations worse, and that unfortunately is a fundamental truth of government which this particular Government utterly fails to understand.

QUESTION:

Just about the billboards, how effective do you think they'll be?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, I think they get a very clear message across. If you want to get rid of the carbon tax, vote for the Coalition. If you want to punish politicians who lie, vote for the Coalition. If you think it is all right for governments to say one thing before an election and do the opposite afterwards, well sure, vote Labor, but if you believe in political ethics, if you believe in the fundamental integrity which should mark our public life, well, there's only one way to vote at the next election.

QUESTION:

Just regarding your announcements yesterday, what role do you see Infrastructure Australia as having under a government you lead?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, Infrastructure Australia will stay and it will be strengthened and we won't be going ahead with major projects until there are published cost-benefit analyses. Now there are published cost-benefit analyses on two of the three projects I committed to yesterday. The third, the East-West Link here in Melbourne, a very, very important transport link, does not yet have a published cost-benefit analysis, but it is on Infrastructure Australia's urgent priority list and I explicitly discussed this specific project with Infrastructure Australia before making the announcement.

QUESTION:

So the Government's still working on its business case - you have pledged $1.5 billion that's contingent on that business case stacking up and being done in time?

TONY ABBOTT:

Infrastructure Australia have given me a categoric assurance that this project stacks up.

QUESTION:

Why has the Baillieu Government wasting money on a business case then?

TONY ABBOTT:

It is important to dot all the 'Is' and cross all the 'Ts', but this is an absolutely vital project and we won't waste money on infrastructure that isn't economic. We won't waste money on infrastructure that is low priority, but this is an absolutely urgent piece of construction that the great city of Melbourne needs if it is to progress into the 21st Century.

Thank you.

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