The Gillard Government must release in full its updated carbon tax modelling, and do so well before Treasury’s appearance before a Parliamentary inquiry this Wednesday, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today.
 
Treasury officials have been scheduled to appear this Wednesday morning before the Joint Select Committee’s inquiry into the more than 1100 pages of 19 bills.
 
“We know the Gillard Government has undertaken updated modelling, but it has preferred to drip-feed to media outlets only those details that suit it rather than share with the Australian people all that it knows,” Senator Birmingham said.
 
“Minister Penny Wong in Senate Question Time today dodged questions about when the updated carbon tax modelling would be released.
 
“The previous flawed modelling, based on a lower carbon price, released in July was more than 200 pages long.
 
“If the Government wants this shotgun inquiry to be meaningful in any sense it must release its updated modeling immediately.
 
“Labor have already left it too late for even a few days of scrutiny of this modelling before Treasury give evidence and won’t even rule out giving committee members just minutes to digest it before questioning Treasury officials… if they release it at all.
 
“Labor is already making it as hard as possible for Australians to have their say, by setting this Thursday as the deadline for people to make submissions to this inquiry despite only calling for submissions in Saturday’s papers.
 
“The Government must not further nobble this inquiry by denying it the latest modelling in time to explore it properly.”
 
Senator Birmingham again urged Australians to email inquiry submissions to jscacefl@aph.gov.au or post them to the carbon tax inquiry care of Parliament House, Canberra.