Brumby's under fire over 'blame carbon tax' memo
By chief political correspondent Simon Cullen
Posted July 04, 2012 11:09:01/ABC News
Memo sent to Brumby's stores. Photo: 'Let the carbon tax take the blame': part of the memo sent to Brumby's stores (ABC News)
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Map: Australia
One of Australia's largest bakery chains, Brumby's, is under fire for an internal memo that suggests franchisees increase their prices and "let the carbon tax take the blame".
In the memo, Brumby's managing director Deane Priest says there are some simple things franchisees can do to find extra sales.
"We are doing an RRP (recommended retail price) review at present which is projected to be in line with CPI (Consumer Price Index), but take the opportunity to make some moves in June and July," Mr Priest wrote in the June edition of Backmix - an internal publication.
"Let the carbon tax take the blame, after all, your costs will be going up due to it."
The memo, which was obtained by the West Australian Newspaper and provided to the ABC, has prompted action by the competition watchdog.
In a statement, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says it will be making direct enquires with Brumby's in light of the document.
"The ACCC would be concerned if any franchisor encouraged or induced its franchisees to make misleading price claims about the impact of the carbon price," it said.
"Businesses are entitled to increase their prices as they see fit.
"It is business as usual, so long as any claims or representations made about the impact of the carbon price are truthful and have a reasonable basis," the ACCC said.
The ABC has tried to contact Brumby's for a response.
The Government has previously warned businesses of making misleading claims about the effects of the carbon tax, saying they risk fines of up to $1.1 million.
The ACCC has set up a hotline for people to report concerns relating to carbon tax pricing. ....<cont>
Q&A: Monday, 2 July 2012
After The Carbon Tax
Carbon pricing here for long term, say emitters
Adam Morton
July 5, 2012/the AGE
Frank Jotzo: 'An overwhelming majority think there will be a carbon price in the medium-to-long term.' Photo: Wayne Taylor
EVEN if the carbon price is repealed, a majority of big greenhouse gas emitters and climate change experts believe Australia will have a scheme in the long run, a survey has found.
The latest study of expectations about climate change laws, by the Australian National University's Crawford School of Public Policy, found 40 per cent of liable companies, carbon financiers and scheme experts believed they would be repealed by 2016.
Among big emitters, 53 per cent thought they would be repealed. But only 21 per cent of all those who responded to the survey thought there would not be a scheme in 2020.
''An overwhelming majority think there will be a carbon price in the medium-to-long term, but more than half the experts from liable entities think the legislation will be repealed along the way,'' said economist Frank Jotzo, the author of a report on the survey. ''It really puts the spotlight back on to the uncertainty that is dominating the area.''
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has given a ''blood pledge'' to repeal the carbon price if elected, either with the support of a defeated Labor Party or after a double dissolution election over the issue.
The survey received 76 responses from big emitters, the carbon finance and investment sector and other experts. Dr Jotzo said he did not claim the survey was representative of all companies liable for the tax, but the respondents were responsible for more than half the emissions covered by the scheme.
Big emitters paying the $23-a-tonne tax were twice as likely to believe the scheme would be repealed as financiers and investors - 53 per cent as opposed to 26 per cent. ....<cont>
Turnbull's gay marriage swipe
July 7, 2012 /the AGE
Michelle Grattan
Malcolm Turnbull has hit out at the 'hypocrisy' of the institution's defenders. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
MALCOLM Turnbull has described those who claim legalising gay marriage would undermine the institution as ''dripping with the worst sort of hypocrisy'', in a speech defying the Coalition's opposition to changing the law.
Mr Turnbull, a frontbencher who cannot vote for gay marriage because of Tony Abbott's refusal to give Liberals a conscience vote, said the ''deepest pools'' of this hypocrisy were all too often found ''among the most sanctimonious''.
''Let us be honest with each other. The threat to marriage is not the gays. It is a lack of loving commitment - whether it is found in the form of neglect, indifference, cruelty or adultery, to name just a few manifestations of the loveless desert in which too many marriages come to grief.''
Illustration: Ron Tandberg
Delivering the Michael Kirby Lecture last night, Mr Turnbull said if Liberal frontbenchers had a free vote, he would support the private members' legislation voted on later this year.
In what could be construed as encouraging backbenchers to do so, he noted that ordinary Liberal MPs were not expelled if they crossed the floor, ''so in that sense every vote is a conscience vote''.
But ''because the leadership are not permitting a free vote, shadow cabinet ministers are bound to vote in accordance with the collective decision''. If they wanted to cross the floor, they would have to resign from the shadow ministry ''and I do not propose to do that''.
Mr Turnbull offered a swingeing demolition of the case against gay marriage - and also pointedly said that previously Liberals had been given a conscience vote on marriage issues.
''I am utterly unpersuaded by the proposition that my marriage to Lucy, or indeed any marriage, is undermined by two gay men or two lesbians setting up house down the road - whether it is called a marriage or not,'' he said.
''Do the bishops seriously imagine that legalising gay marriage will result in thousands of parties to heterosexual marriages suddenly deciding to get divorced so they can marry a person of the same sex?'' he said....<cont>
The "MYTH" about "Compensation " is the same "MYTH" Howard conned the public with in regard to the GST.
Playing with the truth
IN MY letterbox yesterday, I found a flyer about the carbon tax's adverse effects on healthcare, with a picture of a sick child and worried parents. A minute subscript attributed it to David Davis MLC, of the Liberal Party. I am a GP - it surprised me a little, so I read on, and was even more surprised to learn that: ''A visit to the GP, whose costs will rise, can only get more expensive.''
If that isn't an outright lie, it's certainly stretching the truth. The carbon tax will have a minuscule effect on the costs of running a clinic, certainly not enough to consider raising fees.
The other assertions were equally dodgy: attributing future rises in health insurance premiums to the carbon tax; implying that Victorian public hospitals face a $13 million tax bill because of it, but fudging the distinction between carbon tax and total tax.
I understand the Liberals are keen to gain power at any cost, but playing loose with the truth does not inspire confidence in their fitness to govern.
Dr Rod Anderson, Sandringham
In the upcoming by-election, Labor has decided to preference Family First ahead of the Greens.
In Victoria, the two parties are now in direct competition, going head to head in a by-election for the prized state seat of Melbourne, held by Labor for more than a century.
Glad your still posting oz pol cartoons. Marieke Hardy tweeted that Victoria was happy to take Queenslanders escaping from a 'fascist' govt - I'm not sure Baillieu is that much better than Newman. Hitler v Mussolini was my comment.
I'm at a loss about the ALP burning bridges re the greens. ...
) ... after the "Oakeshott debate" on aslym seekers, following more deaths at sea. ...I can understand their trepidation with the LNP chewing at their right wing numbers, and the left wing shifting to the greens, but if they say your with us or agin us, I'll stop voting ALP in reps and Green in the Senate, and just vote Green.
Why does it seem they never get the tenor of anything right any more?
Polling booths have opened in the Melbourne by-election as Labor and the Greens go head-to-head in the inner-city seat.
It is a battle between Labor candidate Jennifer Kanis and Cathy Oke from the Greens.
The polls tip the Greens to win the Melbourne by-election later this month, but with ****-sheets, Labor backflips and preference deal battles abounding, there's plenty to watch, writes Adam Brereton
):The by-election is further complicated by the possibility of the Greens holding the balance of power in the lower house, at least until the 2014 general election. This would depend on the outcome of investigations against Frankston Liberal MP Geoff Shaw, who only holds his seat by a 2 per cent margin and is vulnerable for a Labor grab if made to resign.
That scenario means Greens claims of holding the government to account actually have some traction ....
''A leopard,'' said Greg Rudd of his younger brother Kevin, ''doesn't change his spots.''
Would-be independent Queensland senator Greg Rudd was musing on the question of whether his brother would take revenge on those who removed him from the prime ministership if, as Greg expects, he is reinstalled in the top job.
Greg Rudd believes Kevin will probably replace Julia Gillard by February at the latest.
