CO2 tax to hit H20 prices

Senator Barnaby Joyce

Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Water

Leader of The Nationals in the Senate

LNP Senator for Queensland

9 December 2011

CO2 tax to hit H20 prices

It's the end of the week. I know it's the end of the week because we just borrowed another $2.4 billion and Friday afternoon usually brings the news that we have borrowed another $2 billion.

Our gross debt is now over $223 billion, which means there is only $26 billion before we max out the nation's credit card, which shouldn't take too long at the rate we are borrowing.

We have borrowed $14 billion over the past two months, almost $200 million per day.

We have also found out today that a report from the New South Wales government's independent regulatory agency, IPART, has found that the carbon tax will cause a substantial increase in water prices in New South Wales.

This is a fascinating tax we have put on the Australian people. It doesn't matter whether you are washing your clothes or washing your car, it is going to cost you more money, and the climate will stay exactly the same regardless.

The IPART report shows that the Sydney Desalination Plant's water prices will increase by 2 per cent next year and by almost 6 per cent over the next 5 years due to the carbon tax.
Water prices have already increased by 58 per cent since the Rudd-Gillard government came to power.

They don't call desalination 'bottled electricity' for nothing. The carbon tax will increase the cost of everything that has to plug into the wall and desalinated water will be no different.

As the hopes for international action on climate change, collapse around the beaches of Durban, Australian families can rightly ask why the government is making their living costs higher than they need to be in a futile attempt to change the climate.

If the government were not so focused on Bob Brown they might actually turn their attention to the real issues that face Australian families.