I want to thank everyone for being here today.
This is an opportunity for Greg Hunt and myself to brief you on where the Government is going with the carbon tax repeal legislation.
It’s also an opportunity for you to brief us on just what impact the carbon tax is having on your operations and just how the carbon tax repeal will help your businesses and help consumers.
I am utterly determined – and the new government is absolutely committed – to the repeal of the carbon tax.
If there is one issue that was front and centre in the recent election, it was the carbon tax.
By any standards, the recent election was a referendum on the carbon tax and the Australian people unequivocally said let’s get rid of this thing.
The carbon tax is costing jobs.
It’s raising households’ cost of living.
It’s making business less secure.
It’s damaging our competitiveness.
That’s why it’s got to go and as far as I’m concerned, it will go as quickly as possible.
The first item of legislation that will be considered by the new Parliament will be the carbon tax repeal bill.
We don’t have the numbers in the Senate. Unfortunately, at least until the 1st of July, the numbers in the Senate remain with the Labor Party and the Greens.
My understanding and the understanding around Parliament House is that the Leader of the Labor Party, Mr Shorten, never supported the carbon tax. I hope he has the ability to impress upon his colleagues the need to allow the repeal legislation to go through for the good of working Australians, for the good of Australian households, for the good of Australian businesses, but whether that will be the case remains to be seen.
What I want to indicate to you, though, is that the Government is absolutely committed – completely, utterly, unshakeably committed – to the repeal of the carbon tax.
It’s a toxic tax. It should never have been introduced and the quicker we can get rid of it, the better for everyone.
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