Much discussion on radio news this morning surrounding Senator Bob Brown's
offer to the PM of a solution to the failed ETS - the long campaigned for
carbon tax. The media and (some) online discussions are demonstrating a
positive reaction to this story. We can reinforce this by keeping up the
messages we have been spreading over the past several days.
***
Greens offer Gillard deal on carbon tax (ABC News)
"Greens Leader Bob Brown says he has written to Prime Minister Julia
Gillard offering a solution to the impasse on the emissions trading
scheme. Senator Brown says if Labor is re-elected the Greens would help
the Government pass a carbon tax through the Senate within three months of
polling day. Senator Brown says the Greens deal would hold off on setting
targets for emissions cuts until there is a global agreement on climate
change, but would place a $23 per tonne price on carbon. Senator Brown
says the plan is similar to the idea put forward by the Government's
former top adviser on climate change, Professor Ross Garnaut. "But it
doesn't bring in, at the outset, a carbon trading scheme," he said. "It
leaves that option open and it therefore doesn't become prescriptive about
targets, which have been a stumbling block in the past." Senator Brown
says Ms Gillard should not wait to take action on climate change. "She
cited getting a carbon price in her first speech on Thursday as one of her
priorities, and she knows, like all of us do, that quick action on climate
change is wanted," he said. Ms Gillard says she agrees there needs to be a
price on carbon, but says there needs to be a "deep and lasting community
consensus" to do it. She has said she will work to get a price on carbon.
Senator Brown says Ms Gillard could make a positive stand against climate
change. "I think Kevin Rudd with Penny Wong just simply failed to get
together with the Greens and make the success that we could have had last
year," he said. "They were not motivated to do so, the signs were clear
all the way through that they didn't see the Greens as good options, they
preferred to go to the Coalition."
***
We need a great big tax on carbon (The Drum)
"Back to first principles. What are we trying to do? Reduce carbon
emissions. How do we do that? Tax carbon emissions so heavily that the
emitters - you and I - start to watch our emissions because they cost too
much. Sounds boring but it is just like taxing tobacco, alcohol and
petrol. They are taxes intended to reduce the consumption of goods that
are regarded as anti-social. The cost to our society from their
consumption massively outweighs any GST or other conventional tax. So we
put a great big tax on them and every body pays at a rate equal to their
consumption of the anti-social goods."
***
Greens call on urgent climate action (AAP/SMH)
"The Australian Greens have written to Prime Minister Julia Gillard
calling for swift action on climate change if Labor is re-elected. Greens
leader Bob Brown said he had written to Ms Gillard on Monday proposing a
five-point plan for rapid government action on climate change and a
legislated carbon price soon after the election. He wants a returning
Labor government to act within three months to fix the carbon price at $23
per tonne in a scheme which would start on July 1 next year. Senator Brown
said the scheme would stay in place until a new global climate treaty was
struck and would resolve uncertainty about long-term emissions targets. He
said emissions targets should not be included in the initial laws. Senator
Brown said he looked forward to talks with Ms Gillard on the issue and
also called for an end to coal-fired power and old-growth logging. "With
the mining boom tax under review, so should be the unmet need for a carbon
price," Senator Brown said on Tuesday. "We understand that the government
is set to announce new solar and wind projects, but Australia's business
sector needs a carbon price for forward planning and now is the time for
government to send that signal." Ms Gillard had flagged setting a carbon
price as a priority in her first speech, Senator Brown said. "She knows,
like all of us do, that quick action on climate change is wanted and the
public treated the Rudd government with a downturn in the polls because it
didn't come to action on climate change having promised it at the 2007
election," Senator Brown told ABC Radio."
5 comments:
Its a great idea and Julia should jump at the idea. The ETS is too hard to run and can be abused. A tax on carbon would give the polluters a choice, clean up your mess or pay. This deal would have the Libs/ Nats left out in the cold and looking stupid. Julia go with the Greens, they are honest mob , not like the flip-floping COALalition party.
Cmon Julia, Offer Bob the Environment Ministry. Break the mould.
The Greens have long been pushing for a carbon tax and have again restated this position to the new PM. Is anyone listening this time?
Finally, some sensible discussion about ETS vs carbon
tax and the way the govt has so far failed to grasp what is needed. It seems the removal of Kevin Rudd has also taken the blinkers off the Australian public - it was not the Greens who caused the failure of the
ETS, it was that the ETS was bad policy! A carbon tax is the way to go - or at least the way to start.
Agreed. This would have been the main reason the Greens voted against the ETS/CPRS when Rudd proposed it. There was no way to improve it
with subsequent legislation...
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