Essays by Eric Worrall
A hilarious stalemate has developed in Australian politics, where green party members refuse to support a new carbon tax unless all holes are filled.
Greens provides support for the defense mechanism provided it blocks new coal and gas
According to a political reporter Jake Evans
The Greens have offered the government the necessary support for their signature climate change law, with the only condition that new coal and gas projects are blocked from development.
Main attractions:
- The Greens have offered to support the safeguard mechanism provided that new coal and gas projects are banned
- Party says it is willing to forgo other changes, including climate goals and carbon credit programs
- The government previously opposed the new coal and gas mining ban
The government will introduce a “protection mechanism” bill to parliament this week, which would require the nation’s top polluters to reduce their emissions by 4.9% a year until 2030, if If not, you will be fined.
The mechanism is at the core of the government’s plan to reduce emissions by 43 percent by the end of the decade.
The Green Party says it is a weak target and is concerned that the protection mechanism will allow establishments buy offsetting to cover their obligations instead of cutting emissions.
But Greens leader Adam Bandt says the party is ready to put those concerns aside if the government accepts a single amendment to block new coal and gas projects.
“We are ready to live with that and allow the Labor Party plan if Labor is prepared to stop opening coal and gas mines,” Mr Bandt said.
“The coalition has said no, that they don’t care, which means the government needs the Greens through parliament.
…
If you think we’ve had to put up with our disappointments, as for the green, it’s literally hell. No matter what alliance they entered, no matter what trade they thought they had won, they were always ahead. New coal and gas mines are still opening up after decades of effort and people are still using fossil fuels.
In my opinion, the government’s new carbon tax law is no different. There will be economic damage for sure, but Labor has a significant mining union constituency, so they appear to have left huge loopholes in the carbon tax for their teammates in the Coal and gas mines continue to enjoy well-paid work.
The new carbon tax is supported by major Australian companies that dominate the Australian Chamber of Commerce. If a carbon tax is passed, the small players could be wiped out or forced to merge at the lowest price with the big players, as they cannot cope with the increased bureaucracy. But surely this isn’t why the Australian Chamber of Commerce is cheering for the new tax?
The big question is, which way will the green jump? Will they allow themselves to be sucked in, like all the times they have compromised before, only to see their priorities mercilessly discarded when green votes are no longer useful? Or will they risk being blamed for not passing a carbon tax and stubbornly insisting inconveniently that Australia’s climate laws lead to real reductions in CO2 emissions, whatever the consequences?
Round popcorn.
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