The Labor Member for Richmond, Justine Elliot, today put the Gillard government’s agenda ahead of the interest of her electorate in supporting the carbon tax.
Labor’s carbon tax bills passed in the House of Representatives with the support of the Greens and Independent MPs, Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor and Andrew Wilkie.
“Justine Elliot yet again voted with Labor rather than standing up for North Coast families, businesses, tourism operators, the processing sector, and farmers who will be hit with rising costs and threat to jobs under this tax,” Nationals Senator for NSW, Fiona Nash, said.
“On the government's own figures, three million Australian households will be worse off under the carbon tax. On the Government's own figures, dual income families will be worse off once they have the income of a school teacher and a shop assistant or that of a policeman and a part-time nurse. Where are these families expected to find the money to pay for Julia Gillard’s carbon tax?
Independent research commissioned by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) found small and medium businesses are likely to suffer the most under a carbon tax, with a 10 to 20 per cent cut in profits, potentially rising to 50 per cent.
Other carbon tax impacts in regional areas such as the North Coast include:
- Australian Farm Institute research shows the average farmer will incur an additional $1500 a year in costs under a $23/tonne carbon price.
- An average abattoir processing 3000 cattle a week will see its electricity bill increased by a quarter of a million dollars in the first year. This is without considering other cost increases and the impacts of gas which will also rise by 9 per cent.
- A Tourism and Transport Forum report says 6,400 jobs would go in the tourism industry predominately in regional and rural Australia and that a carbon tax would have an impact on our tourism economy of more than $600 million.
- A carbon tax on aviation fuel will increase airfares, affecting domestic and regional tourism.
- The carbon tax of $23 per tonne will add at least $5,000 to the cost of building an average new home. This includes the cost of construction and developing the land.
- Those self funded retirees who do not hold a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card will miss out on any carbon tax compensation. This means about 285,000 self-funded retirees will not receive compensation.
- Calculations suggest both government and non-government schools alone could be facing an additional cost impost of around $200 million, just for gas and electricity price increases due to the carbon tax, over four years.
- Access Economics has predicted 28,000 jobs would be lost in regional Australia – but that is only the beginning.
- The fuel tax credit for heavy vehicles will be cut by almost seven cents per litre from July 2014, costing the industry and its customers $510 million in 2014-15 alone.
- The fuel tax credit for rail and marine operators will be cut by 6.21 cents a litre from 1 July 2012 again leading to increased transport costs.
- In addition, a senate inquiry report found the carbon tax will cost Australia at least $1 trillion between now and 2050, or $40,000, for every Australian, based on Treasury figures. That’s without any environmental benefits.
“The people of Richmond will be placed under enormous financial strain for nothing. A carbon tax won’t make the slightest bit of difference to the climate,” Senator Nash said.
“Justine Elliot is more interested in protecting her ministerial career by voting with the government and against the wishes of her electorate. She should be ashamed of herself.”
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