Abbott: The Man without a Plan

Extract of Lisa Wilkinson Interview with Tony Abbott, Today Show

5 November 2012

No Plan

LISA WILKINSON:
A good proposal by the Government to bring those energy prices down?

TONY ABBOTT:
Well, this is a government which has presided over a massive increase in prices. Power prices are up 89 per cent since Kevin Rudd became Prime Minister and the carbon tax is now making a bad situation worse. I think if the Government was serious about bringing prices down, it wouldn't be lecturing the States about what they might do. It would be doing what it could do and that is getting rid of the carbon tax and that would instantly, on the Government's own figures, reduce prices by 10 per cent.

LISA WILKINSON:
But the truth is that the carbon tax is only contributing a small amount to those price rises. It's only been in since July 1 and for these proposals that the Government is putting forward to work, it does need cooperation from state governments to deregulate power prices. Now, Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has already said no. We're getting similar indications from the NSW Coalition Government. Is that because it's actually politically convenient to keep those prices high leading up to the Federal election and just keep blaming it on the carbon tax?

TONY ABBOTT:
No one wants to see prices high. Everyone wants to see prices down. But the most practical thing the Commonwealth could do right now to get power prices down is to take off the carbon tax and, you know, the whole point of the carbon tax, Lisa, is to raise power prices. The point I keep making is every time your power bill goes up, the Prime Minister has a smile on her face because that is the carbon tax just doing its job.

LISA WILKINSON:
Alright. Well, you've already promised that, should you be elected Prime Minister, you will get rid of that carbon tax.

That leaves you 79 per cent of those price rises you've got to play with. Can you guarantee that an Abbott government will bring energy prices down beyond taking off the carbon tax?

TONY ABBOTT:
Well, that's a very, very good start. That is a very good start and we would have the ACCC out there making sure that businesses did not profiteer once the carbon tax was off.

LISA WILKINSON:
Ok, but you still haven't answered my question. How much will you bring down energy prices beyond taking off the carbon tax?

TONY ABBOTT:
Well, we will do vastly better than the Labor Party, Lisa, because there will be no carbon tax under a government I lead…

LISA WILKINSON:
You're still not answering my question, Mr Abbott.

TONY ABBOTT:
But, Lisa, I'm saying there will be no carbon tax under a government I lead and when I say that, I'm telling the truth.

LISA WILKINSON:
So should I get from that that you don't actually have a plan on how to bring prices down beyond the carbon tax, beyond getting rid of the carbon tax, Mr Abbott?

TONY ABBOTT:
That's a very, very good start, Lisa.

LISA WILKINSON:
Ok, well, I'll have to take it that you don't have a plan. Unless you're going to put one forward, it doesn't look like you've got a plan, Mr Abbott.

TONY ABBOTT:
Lisa, the plan starts with getting rid of the carbon tax.
...
LISA WILKINSON:
Ok. Let's move on.

Update February 5, 2013

Tony Abbott's Plan - (No) Real Solutions