Jamie Briggs MP

 

Our panel Andrew Leigh in the Canberra studio, good morning Andrew.

 

 

G’day.

 

And from Adelaide we have Liberal MP Jamie Briggs. Jamie, good to see you, first of all your reaction to the debate. We have seen that not a lot has changed in terms of the Coalition’s message, despite the detail?

 

 

Well look we have been consistent, we will be badged with that label if you like. We have been consistent on our view about this for some time now. We said last February 2010 that we had a Direct Action Plan to achieve a 5 percent cut by 2020. The Government of course, when they dumped their emissions trading scheme, they dumped their Prime Minister. They then had a community forum, that was there policy at the last election and then immediately after under the instruction of Bob Brown, they announced their carbon tax. A massive lie that we have seen from the Prime Minister and what we saw yesterday is confirmation on a double whammy on families, an increase in costs and an increase in marginal tax rates, quite extraordinary that a Labor Party would increase tax rates in Australia. So what this is a policy that won’t work, it is based on a lie and you can’t trust Labor that it won’t go further.

 

 

It’s also fair to point out that they did lift that tax free threshold; it means a million Australian’s now won’t need to lodge a tax return. That’s sort of change would be very difficult for the Coalition to roll back, if you win government, wouldn’t it?

 

No not at all, because it is all based on extra revenue. It is not a tax cut when you are taking more tax.

 

 

 

 

Well we have said very clearly from the beginning that we will oppose this tax in opposition and we will rescind this tax in government. It’s a bad idea, it won’t work and you can’t trust Labor that it won’t go further immediately after the next last election. I mean they are completely under the spell of the Greens, you look at the Bill Leak cartoon today in the Australian, it is a classic about Bob Brown with his foot in the door. It is more than a foot in the door, he is running the policy. On Friday they announced half the package, the Labor back benchers sitting back in their electorates would have been aghast, when the greens are announcing four billions of dollars worth of spending out of this carbon tax. That just tells you who is running the country.

 

 

Andrew, there is a definite difference in opinion as well in terms of the tone of the news conference as we saw yesterday from the Prime Minister and Wayne Swan saying this is all very cautious, it is under 1 percent impact on CPI and then you hear from Bob Brown that it is a world leading outcome. We are leading the world according to the Greens.

 

Well Kieran this is going to have modest impacts on prices. It is going to have a 0.7% impact on prices and that is about a third of what GST price impact was and that is because when you start early on addressing dangerous climate change you are able to let that steady adjustment take place. As Greg Combet has been talking about, you allow time, you provide certainty for business and this is basic economics. Just as fundamental to what Labor is doing dealing with climate change science is what we are doing in listening to what economists have to say on the outcome.

 

Well you’re on message, obviously. The Greens aren’t. 

 

Kieran, this is not on message. This is being right. This is a fundamentally correct economic reform; it is an economic reform which was being explored by the Howard Government as early as the late 1990’s. They took it to the 2007 election and they are (inaudible) to say their British colleagues who are backing an emissions trading scheme. Putting a price on carbon is right thing to do because it is a most cost effective way of getting the policy adjustment. Tony Abbott’s plan of subsidising big polluters is an extremely expensive way of dealing with dangerous climate change.

 

 

Let’s just focus on your plan. Jamie Briggs, Jamie, I wanted to ask you, were you surprised that the Treasury modelling we saw yesterday, Tony Abbott has been running around in grocery shops and supermarkets over the last few weeks and months warning of big increases in food. We found out that yesterday that most households will pay about an extra 80 cent or so a week on food, electricity prices going up about $3.30 a week. Gas up about $1.50 a week. These price impacts aren’t really as huge as Tony Abbott has been suggesting.

 

 

What they are is a double whammy, you have an increase cost of living for families, over $500.00 bucks and you are going to have an increase in the marginal tax rates, so it is a double whammy on Australian families and I say this to Andrew, if he is so right, if the Australian people are so wrong with their view that they are expressing, their outrage that they are expressing this morning, then mate get in the car go down to the Governor Generals and call an election, because you lied to the Australian people before the last election, you weren’t up front with the Australian people about that you wanted to do this. So now that you think you are so right and that you know more than everybody else and that this is the right way to go, well then let’s have a fight in an election campaign, let the Australian people decide, whose plan is best. Our Direct Action Plan that we took to the last election or your carbon tax…

 

 

This moves past the spin and cartoons to the substance of what we are doing here. We are putting a price on dangerous carbon pollution which will be paid by the 500 biggest emitters in Australia, some of the costs are going to flow through to the households and the households then have a choice to receive… 

 

 

Jamie has a point there. The trust issue is a big one for your Government isn’t it?

 

 

What we are doing with this package is focussing on long term reform. When I left my two little boys this morning…

 

 

 

 

We are actually putting in place reforms which are going to leave Australia a better country; we are going to make the transition to a clean energy future. We are going to do it from the place we are now, which is as country which emits more carbon pollution per capita. The household assistance will mean that people can make a choice, you can purchase the high carbon product you are buying now or you can use that money to buy lower carbon alternatives.

 

Okay Jamie, just one final say. 20 seconds Jamie.

 

 

Well, if they trust it so much, if Julia Gillard thinks is the right way to go, then be honest, go to an election and teach our kids that trust is ultimately what the Australian people should have in their Government.