Full revelations of the Gillard government’s carbon tax are expected in the coming days, but the decision to spare the Australian motorist has just been announced. Picking that this might happen was a…
If farmers aren’t exempt, times could get even tougher.
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The recent announcement that a carbon tax would not be levied on petrol for cars or light vehicles used by motorists, tradespeople and small businesses is an interesting political statement. But this statement…
An emissions trading scheme and a carbon tax are not the same thing.
AAP
Since July 2012, Australia has had in place its carbon pricing scheme. It is commonly referred to as a “carbon tax”, but also as an “Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) with a fixed price”. And the plan is…
A big new tax isn’t the problem, our levels of consumption are.
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On Sunday 5 June 2011, 8000 people reportedly turned up to demonstrate support for the Government’s proposed carbon tax. By Sydney standards this amounts to a large public display of support for Government…
At the National Press Club on 7 June the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, promised to release “hundreds of pages” of Treasury modelling on the impact of imposing a tax on carbon pollution. The hundreds of pages…
An oil extraction project in Canada – a country absent from the Productivity Commission’s carbon report.
AAP
One of the most basic questions to ask in any analysis of Australia’s carbon policy has always been: what is the rest of the world doing? Last week, the Productivity Commission (PC) published a partial…
Is comparing Australia’s coal to Norway’s hydro a case of apples and oranges?
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Professor Ross Garnaut recently compared Australia and Norway in the context of climate change policy and a carbon tax. It is both curious that he should choose this comparison and that no journalist…
Good governance makes for boring pictures, but trustworthy carbon pricing.
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The World Bank ranks Australia among the top five countries in the world in terms of its regulatory environment. Australia also ranks in the top ten countries in terms of control of corruption. International…
Debate around climate science and proposed policy responses should be open and constructive, universities have said.
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Death threats against climate scientists may make researchers reluctant to engage in public debate or even turn research students off the study of climate change altogether, the head of the government…
A carbon price won’t help much unless it keeps going up.
AAP
To achieve actual reductions in Australia’s emissions, the carbon price will need to rise from its likely starting point in the $20s. A price floor in the trading phase could help bring about efficient…
During a leadership vacuum on environmental policy, Cate Blanchett was heavily criticised for supporting a carbon tax.
AFP/Say Yes Australia
As the International Energy Agency says the world faces a bleak future as emissions fail to fall at a fast enough rate to combat climate change, the challenge is on for governments to act globally, but…
A carbon price woud disincentivise pollution, the economists’ letter says.
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An open letter signed by 13 of the country’s top economists and published in The Australian newspaper has called for the speedy introduction of a price on carbon pollution, preferably by way of an emissions…
When the rich are scared to talk, something’s clearly going wrong.
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Iconic Aussie entrepreneur Dick Smith is feeling intimidated. Not by growing population pressures, nor by climate change or carbon prices, but by the bullies at News Limited. In a recent interview, Smith…
Half the retail investors questioned in a new survey expect the proposed carbon tax to drive down the value of their portfolio. The survey, conducted by Global Proxy Solicitation (GPS) and the Melbourne…
Are carbon campaigns failing miserably on strategy?
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Braying climate naysayers are annoying; but so are all those well-intentioned carbon tax advocates who fail to address the core problems and make the same mistakes time and time again. If we’re going to…
Fossil fuel power generation doesn’t look like a great investment.
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New fossil-fuel power plants that nobody wants to pay for, electricity companies saying power prices will go through the roof: the economy of generating electricity is a complicated business. Last week…
For politicians, there’s no bright future in pushing up petrol prices.
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Politically, increasing petrol prices is one of the least popular things a government can do. But is there any point to a carbon tax if it doesn’t cover petrol? Vladimir Putin has just found how quickly…
Turnbull made his position clear on the ABC’s Lateline.
Malcolm Turnbull created a stir on Lateline last night by criticising opposition climate policy. The opposition spokesman for communications and former leader of the party implied that Tony Abbott’s “direct…
The future is renewable. Do we want to live in the past?
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This week’s budget, with its withdrawal of subsidies for renewable energy, has left many commentators wondering if we’ve turned our back on carbon-neutral power. They should focus on the main game - the…
The government has walked away from some of its solar commitments.
AAP
Sadly, the major environmental policy announced in the Federal Budget yesterday was not an environmental policy at all but the change to the Fringe Benefits Tax. The government announced changes to the…