Canberra 5th August 2013. Today I have written to the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to advise him that if the Coalition is elected our first legislative priority will be to scrap the carbon tax.
I have also written to the Chair of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), Ms Jillian Broadbent AO, to formally advise the board that the Coalition does not support the CEFC nor its expenditure of $10 billion of borrowed money on projects that the private sector deems too risky to invest in.
As the government has now entered the caretaker period, I have requested that the CEFC immediately ceases to make any further payments.
In the last three weeks, the Government has finally admitted what the Coalition has been saying for the last three years – that the carbon tax is hurting average Australian families.
But if Labor is re-elected, the carbon tax will continue to be a tax on electricity bills which will hurt Australian families, hurt Australian businesses and cost jobs.
On the Government's own figures, the carbon tax will increase six-fold between mid-2014 and mid-2019.
On the Government's own figures, the carbon tax will reach $38 a tonne by 2019 and increase to $350 a tonne over time.
That means, if Labor is re-elected, average families will pay $3000 in carbon tax over the next six years.
If the Coalition is elected, we will take immediate steps to implement our plan to abolish the carbon tax.
· On day one, I will instruct the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to draft legislation that repeals the carbon tax and to have the legislation ready within one month.
· On day one, the Treasurer will notify the Clean Energy Finance Corporation that it should suspend its operations and instruct the Treasury to prepare legislation to permanently shut-down the Corporation.
· Within the first month, the Cabinet will approve legislation to repeal the carbon tax.
· On the very first day of a new Parliament, the Coalition will introduce legislation to repeal the carbon tax.
· And within the first sitting fortnight of Parliament, the new government will introduce legislation to shut-down the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
Only the Coalition will reduce your cost of living by scrapping the carbon tax lock, stock and barrel.
Under the Coalition’s plans, average families will be better off by more than $550 a year in 2014-15, rising to around $900 a year in 2019-20.
Only the Coalition has a real plan to deliver a stronger economy, stronger borders and a stronger Australia. In contrast, Labor offers more chaos, more talk and more failure.
