Tony Abbott has followed through with his election promise to end the carbon tax, releasing a statement today titled, “The Carbon Tax is gone!”.
After a stressful week for the Australian government, Tony Abbot said, “This is great news for Australian families and for our nation’s small businesses.”
“At the election, the Coalition made a pledge: to scrap the carbon tax, stop the boats, get the Budget under control and build the roads of the 21st century. All these commitments were designed to help families.
“We are honouring our commitments to you and building a strong and prosperous economy for a safe and secure Australia.”
He said it would save the average family $550 a year and the first benefits would be seen in coming power bills.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten reportedly said Mr Abbott had “embarrassed Australians” and that “history will judge Tony Abbott harshly for refusing to believe that action is needed on climate change.”
Abbott replied, “Surely it’s time to accept Australian people don’t want a carbon tax”.
The decision means Prime Minister Abbott has now completed two of his three major election pledges — to “axe the tax” and to “stop the boats”. The third was to repair the Budget.
However, Abbott could have problems fulfilling his full carbon tax axe election vow, as there are other factors pushing up power prices such as infrastructure investment and falling demand.
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