Greens: we will force a carbon tax

23 July, 2010 by

Not fit for politics

I mean, we knew this was coming. As soon as Green preferences had given victory to Labor, and Labor had ensured the Greens won the balance of power in the Senate, the gun would be held to Julia Gillard’s head. But Christine Milne has done it already:

Senator Milne said the Greens would introduce legislation to put a price on carbon as soon as the next parliament sits and said Labor would have “no excuses” to delay an emissions trading scheme if the Greens win the balance of power in the Senate.

“Prime Minister Gillard has shown a complete and utter lack of leadership on climate change, What we have heard is recycled rhetoric for the last four years, what we haven’t heard is any commitment to action,” she said, in Canberra.

So now we know. A vote for Labor is a vote for the Greens, which is a vote for an economy-wrecking carbon tax.

Read it here.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: ,

Election 2010: Gillard's desperate "citizens' assembly" on climate

23 July, 2010 by

A horse designed by a committee

When in doubt, set up a committee – or in this case, two committees. Julia Gillard and Labor don’t have a clue how to address the climate change policy issue, especially with the Coalition stealing the thunder with their direct action plan [even though this blog believes that no policy on climate change is required at all; it’s like having a policy on “the sun rising in the morning” – it will happen anyway, so why bother having a policy on it?] so they plan to set up a brace of committees, one of scientists and one of the general public:

The ABC understands Ms Gillard will outline plans to set up a committee of scientists to advise the Government on climate change.

The committee will be paired with a citizens’ assembly, consisting of 100-200 volunteers who will gauge feeling of the community on its attitude towards putting a price on carbon, and feed it back to the Government.

And we can all imagine who will be on the scientists committee – usual suspect alarmists like David “Asteroid” Karoly and Will Steffen, maybe headed up by someone independent like Penny Wong, perhaps? Hang on a minute, I wonder if they’ll ask Ian Plimer or Bob Carter? Yeah, right. If they did, this author would fall off his perch. And we can guess the “volunteers” will all be paid up Labor/Green warmists who have all been brainwashed by government propaganda and a compliant media to give the answers the government want to hear.

The Coalition have already, and rightly, rubbished the proposal:

Shadow Environment Spokesman Greg Hunt says Julia Gillard’s proposed “citizens assembly” will fail to produce action.

He says the Opposition is promising a $2.5 billion fund to battle emissions.

“It’s a recipe for endless Rudd-type talks,” he said.

“Kevin Rudd himself would be proud of the 2020 summit meets Copenhagen.”

I disagree that it will fail to produce action, it probably will produce action – an ETS or a carbon tax, both of which would trash Australia’s already weakened economy for no benefit to the climate, locally or globally, whatsoever.

Read it here.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: , ,

Election 2010: a vote for Labor is a vote for the Greens

21 July, 2010 by

Not fit for politics

That’s the inevitable result of the cosy little back-room deal for preferences struck by Labor and the Greens earlier this week.  The Greens will hold the balance of power in the Senate, meaning that no piece of legislation which does not have bipartisan support will get through without the Greens’ say so. The question that must be asked, therefore, is: what have Labor secretly agreed to in order to secure their support for government legislation? Who knows. The media obviously don’t care, but the people should care.

The Greens are an extremist, single-issue, far-Left environmental advocacy group that shouldn’t even be dignified by calling them a political party. Once they get their hands on the levers of power in the Senate, who knows what nonsense they will force Labor to enact – maybe interfering, meddling, nanny-state anti-Libertarian claptrap like this, or much worse: an ETS or carbon tax.

The Australian people should be afraid, very afraid.

And whilst we’re on the subject of extremist, single-issue, far-Left environmental advocacy groups, the WWF today proves that if you ask the right questions in a poll, you’ll get the right answers:

A new Galaxy poll of four marginal Queensland seats has found support for an emissions trading scheme (ETS) continues to grow.

The poll was commissioned by World Wildlife Fund Australia.

It found 74 per cent of respondents in the seats of Brisbane, Bowman, Petrie and Ryan say they are in favour of an ETS to reduce carbon pollution.

The figure is up 4 per cent from the previous poll conducted in June.

The survey also found 87 per cent of those who identified themselves as Labor voters want an ETS by next year. (source)

I am currently trying to source the question wording, and I’m sure we won’t be surprised when we see it.

UPDATE: Fair play to WWF for courteously providing the information requested. The primary question asked regarding the ETS was:

Overall, are you in favour or opposed to the introduction of an Emissions Trading Scheme to help reduce carbon pollution in Australia?

66% responded “in favour”. My gripe with this is the reference to “carbon pollution” rather than “carbon dioxide”. Any question that asks “do you want to reduce pollution” will predispose respondents to answer in the affirmative – I mean, who doesn’t want to reduce pollution? Unfortunately, the public do not understand enough about the real meaning of an ETS, and that’s thanks to a politically correct media. I wonder what the response would be if the question had been worded “are you in favour of an ETS to reduce the harmless trace gas carbon dioxide and which will increase your electricity bills by 50% and have no discernible effect on climate either locally or globally”?

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: , , ,

Abbott: no price on carbon [dioxide]

19 July, 2010 by

No ETS or carbon (dioxide) tax

Tony Abbott has confirmed that a Coalition government will not set a price on carbon [dioxide].

TONY Abbott has vowed any government he leads would never introduce a carbon price.

The Opposition Leader has hardened the Coalition position, preparing a campaign strategy to target Labor on the basis that it would drive up electricity prices.

He said that, even if the international community agreed on a carbon price, a government led by him would not necessarily back it. “I do not support the government going out there and making consumers pay a price on carbon,”Mr Abbott said.

Even if there was an international consensus position on a carbon price, a Coalition government would not necessarily fall into line, he said.

“Let’s cross that bridge . . . look, it’s not going to happen in the foreseeable future,” Mr Abbott said.

“One thing is for sure, if this government is re-elected there will be a carbon price.

“It will be a high one and it will impact on everyone’s standard of living.”

And then a Labor own goal from Penny Wong [who she?]:

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said without putting a price and a limit on pollution, Mr Abbott had no way to meet the emissions reductions targets that he had signed up to.

“He should be upfront with the Australian people and admit that his policy is a con that will not do anything to reduce emissions,” Senator Wong said yesterday.

But unfortunately, that’s the Labor policy too, and Julia Gillard believes in man-made climate change.

Read it here.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: , , ,

Gillard calls election – climate in "top three" policy areas

18 July, 2010 by

Dancing to the tune of the faceless factions

Refreshed thanks to a week away from the grinding moonbattery of climate alarmism, the news that Julia Gillard has called an election will focus people’s minds on climate again. The fact that the election is so soon after her “Night of the Long Knives” demonstrates, to this writer at least, that Gillard is running scared, knowing that if she leaves it any longer, her popularity will sink further and there’s less chance of a victory. She must think we’re stupid, frankly.

Anyway, the ABC reports that climate will be a “key election issue”, although having abandoned the ETS and any chance of a carbon tax, what does that mean, exactly?

Labor’s support dropped in the opinion polls earlier this year when it announced it was shelving the emissions trading scheme.

But Ms Gillard says she will unveil new policies during the campaign.

She also delivered a veiled swipe at Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott over the issue. [Because no Labor politician can say anything without having a veiled swipe at the Opposition. A sure sign that their own policies aren’t worth listening to.]

“What I can say very clearly and guarantee for you that as we announce those policies, my policies, they will be policies coming from a person who believes climate change is real, who believes it’s caused by human activity and who has never equivocated in that belief,” she said.

But Mr Abbott says the Government’s climate change policy will hurt Australians’ standard of living.

“The Coalition and only the Coalition has a clear policy to deal with it,” he said.

“Julia Gillard will talk to you about a carbon price, but she won’t actually establish how she’ll get it, what it will be and how much it’s going to raise the cost of everyday living.”

And the Greens think their time has come, holding the balance of power after a hung parliament. Please, please, please, people of Australia, don’t let that happen.

Read it here. Watch the Liberals’ puppet string advert here.

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: , , ,
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