Prime Minister Julia Gillard faced a small but vocal group of protesters
as she launched Labor's climate change policy at the University of
Queensland in Brisbane this morning. The centrepiece of Labor's plan is a
so-called "citizens' assembly" which would gather together volunteers to
sound out public support for a price on carbon. The assembly would be made
up of up to 200 volunteers and would work alongside a group of scientists
appointed by the government to advise it on climate change. But the
measures did not go down well with protesters from climate action group
Six Degrees who were gathered outside the open-air venue. And the plan has
also been roundly attacked by opponents from both sides of politics and
environmentalists, who accused Ms Gillard of abdicating responsibility on
climate action. One protester was tackled to the ground only metres away
from Ms Gillard after he tried to rush the podium during the speech. The
young man was handcuffed and led away by police as the Prime Minister
pressed on. Later identified as PhD student Bradley Smith, he told triple
j's Hack program why he disrupted the speech. "Scientists have been
telling us we need to take action on climate change for a long time. The
government have had a mandate to take strong action on climate change for
the last three years. "That's what the election was about three years ago,
and we've seen no action. So I feel the need to do whatever I can because
it's not just about me, it's about the whole planet." The protest
threatened to overshadow the announcement of Labor's plans to tackle
climate change. And the citizens' assembly plan has already been roundly
criticised by the Opposition and Greens.
An ideal opportunity to write a Letter to the Ed. Surely we already have a
citizen's assembly.. it's called Parliament!!! You can also comment online
in support of Greens long hard push for real action right now. And don't
forget your blogs, tweets, forums and facebook.
***
It's the giant green monster in the room that no one wants to talk about:
what will happen if the Greens win the balance of power in the Senate and
just how would a Labor government repay the party's preference deal? The
Bob Brown-led party is expected to push through a raft of legislation
currently blocked in the Upper House should Julia Gillard prevail on
August 21. Tens of thousands of voters will have to pay up to $1500 a year
more for private health insurance if the Gillard Government wins the
election and the Greens win the balance of power in the Senate. University
students face a $250 levy to cover the cost of campus childcare and sports
services. The Greens also want the Government to impose a $23 a tonne
carbon tax to combat global warming and raise $10 billion.
Please comment online.
*** OTHER NEWS ***
Greens leader Bob Brown has taken his campaign for gay marriage into the
lounge rooms of middle Australia - and earned a big round of applause.
Senator Brown talked of his same-sex relationship on The Circle, a
mid-morning TV program on the Ten Network popular with stay-at-home mums.
Sitting on a sofa in front of a studio audience, the Tasmanian senator
said he was "totally in favour" of gay marriage. "I've got a terrific
partner Paul, it's a bit far down the line for us to be worried about it,"
the 65-year-old said. "But I see young people who want to express their
love for each other through a marriage ceremony." Both Labor and the
Liberals oppose same-sex marriage, but Senator Brown said the major
parties "should come into this century and catch up". This won a strong
round of applause from the mainly female studio audience, and one of the
hosts responded with: "well said". The Greens and Labor have done a deal
to share preferences in some key seats, but Senator Brown urged viewers to
choose their own preferences by voting below the line. One of the hosts
said a lot of people did not have time to fill out all the boxes but
Senator Brown replied "of course they do". "If you get a bit mixed up and
you get the numbers wrong, go and get a new paper," he said. Senator Brown
referred to his previous job as a GP several times on the family-friendly
program, and also talked up his ability to cook bananas with brandy cream
- which earned an invitation to come back on and prepare it.
***
BOB Brown doesn't even have to open his mouth. The Greens' vote will
almost certainly be higher than the 7.8 per cent they pulled in the lower
house at the last federal election. And the Senate balance of power is
within reach. Voters appear to be remarkably unconcerned by the looming
shift to the Greens. The campaign mood so far is: "Get it over with." But
the nation has never had a left-wing party in this position before, so
either we've turned a little red, or our sense of where the centre is has
changed. However, the truth is a little more complicated and much more
interesting...
***
BILLIONAIRE miner Andrew Forrest is threatening to reopen a miners' war on
the Labor government with a fresh advertising blitz. The Fortescue Metals
Group chief executive said Greens leader Bob Brown's threat to use his
party's expected balance of power in the Senate to extract more tax
revenue from mining companies after the election had prompted him to
support the possible advertising campaign.
***
Fortescue Metals Group chief executive Andrew Forrest has called on the
Prime Minister to include Greens leader Bob Brown in talks on the new
mining tax. Senator Brown in April said the Greens wanted a 50 per cent
mining tax, not 30 per cent under the Gillard government's planned mineral
resources rent tax. "Senator Brown appears severely misinformed about the
benefits that he himself enjoys from the mining industry," Mr Forrest said
in a statement today.
***
The Australian Greens say the rollout of fast broadband services can only
be guaranteed if they hold the balance of power in the Senate. The first
stage of the National Broadband Network (NBN) will come online at
Scottsdale, Smithton and Midway Point in Tasmania, later this month.
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