6 hours 26 minutes ago

Question Time in Federal Parliament today returned to the more regular themes of the carbon tax and the economy, after yesterday's extraordinary move to try to force Peter Slipper out of the Speaker's role.

But Labor says

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has been caught out in his use of a "pensioner's" electricity bill as part of his anti-carbon tax campaign.

In questioning the Prime Minister about Hetty Verolme's bill, Mr Abbott said the customer "nearly had a heart attack" when she got her most recent power bill.

, and Mr Abbott wanted to know what advice Julia Gillard had for the Perth pensioner.

He followed up with a supplementary question:

"With an $800 increase in just one bill of which 70 per cent is due to the carbon tax, how can the Prime Minister possibly claim that Hetty Verolme's compensation is in any way adequate?"

Labor challenged Mr Abbott to table the bill in Parliament so it could verify Mr Abbott's claims, meaning it has now been made publicly available.



It also includes a note saying that electricity prices had increased on July 1 by 2.255 cents per unit because of the carbon tax, which "represents an estimated increase of 9.13 per cent for an average daily usage of 15.89 units".

That is less than the Treasury forecast of a 10 per cent increase in electricity costs because of the carbon tax.

"Once again, the Leader of the Opposition caught out just like he was on Whyalla, caught out just like he was on the coal industry, caught out just like he was on lamb roasts, peddling fear (and) peddling reckless negativity," Ms Gillard told Parliament.

"The one thing you'll never hear from the Leader of the Opposition is anything that sounds like the truth about carbon pricing.

"The Opposition knows that the increase around the country has been what was predicted - 10 per cent or less."