Business News

Brisbane 10 September 2013. Queensland Labor still supports slugging Queenslanders with a carbon tax, despite voters emphatically endorsing the abolition of the tax, Treasurer Tim Nicholls said today.

Mr Nicholls said it was hard to imagine why the ALP continued to support a tax that had done nothing but destroy jobs and wreck business confidence.

“By the modelling done for the previous State government, Queensland could lose up to 21,000 jobs by 2020 and Gross State Product could fall by $9.6 billion thanks to the carbon tax,” Mr Nicholls said.

“The carbon tax has already cost the State Government almost $150 million and Government Owned Corporations around $700 million - but still Labor thinks it’s a good idea.

“The party that is supposed to represent workers is prepared to see real wages fall by $2,900 a year because of this tax.”

Mr Nicholls said the Abbott Government had been elected with a mandate to get rid of the carbon tax and Labor should respect the will of the people.

“Even the Opposition Leader’s own father was against the carbon tax,” he said.

“In 2006 he told urged John Howard to rule out consideration of the carbon tax, describing it as a tax on coal.

“Henry Palaszczuk said, ‘Any move to introduce a coal tax will not only threaten jobs in the coal industry, but it will make Australian manufacturers less competitive and mean more job losses.  A carbon tax could cost Queensland billions of dollars’.”

Mr Nicholls said State Parliament had passed a motion endorsing the Abbott Government’s plan to repeal the carbon tax and calling on all Queensland Senators to support the repeal.

“All Queenslanders should note that the Labor Party voted against the motion.

“Labor has voted for falling wages, higher cost of living and increased costs for businesses.”