FED:Bishop spruikes carbon tax petition

AAP General News (Australia)
08-04-2011
FED:Bishop spruikes carbon tax petition

PERTH, Aug 4 AAP - Federal Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop has collected signatures
in downtown Perth for a petition calling for a national plebiscite on the proposed carbon
tax.

Ms Bishop and helpers were in Murray Street Mall on Thursday promoting the petition
to demand Australians have a say in whether the Gillard government should introduce the
tax.

"The message I'm getting from people today in the city is overwhelmingly against a
carbon tax," she told reporters.

"Julia Gillard promised that there would be no carbon tax.

"If she believes this tax is good for the economy and good for the environment, then
she should campaign on it and let the Australian people judge," Ms Bishop said.

She said Ms Gillard should call an election on "the most significant reform" in decades
and if she wasn't prepared to do that, she should hold a plebiscite.

Ms Bishop said that when former prime minister John Howard introduced the idea of a
goods and services tax, he took it to the Australian people and there was an election
on it.

"Julia Gillard is running away from the Australian people."

Ms Bishop said the Liberal Party would abide by the result of a plebiscite if it came
out in favour of a carbon tax.

She said reports from the NSW Treasury on Thursday showed the impact of the carbon
tax would be much greater than Ms Gillard had let on, with electricity prices going up
15 per cent in the first year.

No amount of government compensation would be able to cover such an increase, she said.

Ms Bishop will present the petition to parliament when it resumes.

AAP ldj/ht

KEYWORD: CLIMATE BISHOP (PIX AVAILABLE)

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.