Australia Rejects Climate Cap-and-Trade Bill — Senators voted 42 to 30 against it: “It is a dog of a plan”
Aug. 13 (Bloomberg) — Australia’s Senate rejected the government’s climate-change legislation, forcing Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to amend the bill or call an early election.
Senators voted 42 to 30 against the law, which included plans for a carbon trading system similar to one used in Europe. Australia, the world’s biggest coal exporter, was proposing to reduce greenhouse gases by between 5 percent and 15 percent of 2000 levels in the next decade.
Rudd, who needs support from seven senators outside the government to pass laws through the upper house, can resubmit the bill after making amendments. A second rejection after a three-month span would give him a trigger to call an election.
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“We may lose this fight, but this issue will not go away,” Climate Change Minister Penny Wong told the Senate in Canberra. “Australia cannot afford for climate change to be unfinished business.”
Five members from the Australian Greens party sought bigger cuts to emissions while the opposition coalition and independent Senator Nick Xenophon wanted to wait for further studies on the plan’s impact on the economy.
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“Australia going it alone before Copenhagen will not make a jot of difference,” Liberal Senator Eric Abetz said. “It is a dog of a plan and we will not support it in its current form.”
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you little ripper!!
Excellent news. Excellent!
Never been prouder to be Australian
I’m hoping the bill is rejected again after the amendments and KRudd747 is forced to call an election. Penny W(r)ong is a fool.
Although Australia is a large exporter of coal and natural gas, our global export of coal is about 8% of the domestic consumption by the Peoples’ Republic of China alone. Stopping coal exports would have a quite small effect on GHG as substitution would no doubt be attempted. Besides, the coal we export is high quality and low in sulphur. Substitutes are likely to be worse.
What was defeated by Senate vote was a grab for more money by the Government.
The funds collected from an emission scheme were intended for distribution to people who have failed to demonstrate that their use will result in lower GHG. Of course, transaction and compliance costs would be given a place in the Government coffers, too.
If I were to give you windfall money, I would defy you to spend it without wanting to consume more fossil fuel than you did before.
So at least one developed country is prudent……..
As a citizen of a goofy country, it’s so enviable!
It’s extremely heartening to see that some elected governments have some common sense. Obviously AGW hasn’t caused as much volatility in Australia as it has in Michigan…
“It is a dog of a plan and we will not support it in its current form.”
Sirius always shows up this time of year…
“Rudd, who needs support from seven senators outside the government to pass laws through the upper house, can resubmit the bill after making amendments. A second rejection after a three-month span would give him a trigger to call an election.
…
“We may lose this fight, but this issue will not go away,” Climate Change Minister Penny Wong told the Senate in Canberra. “Australia cannot afford for climate change to be unfinished business.”
Fighting climate change through some sort of carbon trading was a key election campaign issue which aided his landslide victory over Howard. This means there are far to omany Australians who believe AGW is real, is happening, is causing catatrophies and must be stopped (Via taxes).
Three cheers for the Aussies! Good on ya, mates!
But.. but we have just 4 month to save mankind (UN) 😉
I am eagerly waiting for comments in mass media.
Great news!
Hopefully the outcome is repeated at the second voting and Rudd will call a new election.
People won’t forget Government Officials that are lying through their teeth.
Keep on pushing and the same will happen in the USA.
I’ve just got back from parliament house where this morning we held a protest rally against the ETS. To our suprise there wasn’t a warmist in sight. We got noticed, Senator Wilson Tuckey came out a gave us an inspiring talk. It was refreshing to hear a senator actually talking common sence.
Cheers and claps all round when we heard that the bill had been voted down.
The Rudd government won’t let this thing go so the fight is not over yet.
Today was a good day.
Well, that’s put a smile on this Aussie’s face! 😀 Now I’ll start composing a letter to all my state senators. I’ll let them know if they vote for an ETS in the next round of voting, I shall never vote for them. I won’t care if they are Liberal, Labor or Monster Raving Loony Party, they will not have my vote if they vote for this in another three months. Good grief, I actually feel some affection for Parliament House right now. The system can work even if only accidently!
Non if only we could have a bit of that common sense in the EU.
Unfortunately it this action will cost the opposition badly. It’s quite clear the Labor party is using this as a wedge issue. The voting public of Australia overwhelmingly support emission trading (though this is slowly changing) and both major parties went to the last election with an emissions trading bill as policy. Correspondingly you can expect in the next election the voting public will obliterate the opposition for their temerity.
If the opposition were even vaguely competent they wouldn’t have stood in the way of this. We don’t put up with parties going back on promises here. Check out the story of the Australian Democrats if you want to see what I mean.
Let’s not get too carried away or pat ourselves on the back.
The defeat was simply a part of the politicisation of the issue. The opposition senators will, save for some notable exceptions, support some form of cap and trade. The Greens voted it down because it didn’t go far enough. The Liberals (conservatives) voted it down because it was too costly compared to their proposal and some National and independent senators voted against it because they don’t believe, quite rationally, that the science is settled and that global warming is man made.
So the scheme will be re-submitted, probably in its current form. If it is rejected again by the Senate then Rudd will have the trigger for a double dissolution election. This means the whole of both houses of parliament are dissolved and go to the election at the same time. Usually at an election only half the Senate is up for election.
After that Rudd can call a joint sitting of both houses (Representatives and Senate) and again put the Bill to a vote, which means it would most likely pass. Rudd would probably have the overwhelming majority in a joint sitting.
Unfortunately, it is not over. Not by a long shot.
For non-Australians it’s worth noting that Australia will get an ETS. This was a tactical defeat and is good for the skeptics. The more the issue is examined the more people start to wonder. But it is still going to pass.
Either it will pass in November or it will pass early next year.
It’s pretty light as well, it’s not that damaging. Silly, yes, but it’s really just another new tax.
Nutty Rudd and Wong…. I hope they get voted out if there is an election in the near future. If only we can now get rid of the idiot Democrats in Washington.
I watched live the session in the Australian Senate this morning when the CPRS bill was voted on. Proceedings on the matter started with an excellent speech by independent Senator Steve Fielding. The text of his speech is at http://www.stevefielding.com.au/news/details/carbon_pollution_reduction_scheme_speech/
Senator Fielding is one of the few parliamentarians who has distinguished himself with common sense in this highly politicised debate. He deserves considerable praise for his genuine, sincere, and intelligent efforts to get to crux of the matter on behalf of the Australian people.
Unfortunately this bill has been voted down due to bickering over numbers, not common sense!
However one party, the nationals (farmers party) are totally against a carbon tax and their coalition partners, the liberals (business) are divided on the issue. Their current leader is pro-AGW but doing very badly in the polls and will hopefully be replaced soon by hopefully a anti AGW politician. fingers crossed.
The greens voted against the bill because it wasn’t harsh enough!
There is also the beginnings of rumblings amongst the ruling labour party’s grass roots as the unions are starting to cotton on to the fact that it will cost jobs!
Unfortunately the Media and advisors continue to paint a picture that the bill is popular with voters and that the science is settled.
Only a stupid and incompetent goverment would put a huge barnacle on the backside of its economy and incur costs in excess of $75bn, as well as lose 65000 jobs, all for a reduction in temperature of less than 0.02c by 2050. Thats our share of it all.
Unfortunately it is not all over, because the Rudd govt is just that, stupid and incompetent, and it has conned the mindless masses who will have to vote in a few months time,( compulsory voting), and Rudd will buy them off with yet more spendathons.
Sorry to say it but like the USA our systems of Govt are failing us, and Australia in the long run, like the USA, is stuffed.
At the top of the list has to be the GW scientific fraternity gloabally who will have a lot to answer for this craziness and crookery, and at the top of that list will be Hansen and Gore.
Will this be like Ireland rejecting the Lisbon Treaty when it was put forwards for referendum. They voted NO, but the Eeropean Union keeps asking Ireland to vote again until it comes up with the correct vote that satisfies the EU.
There is no such thing as a NO vote in the EU.
That’s a relief! Could it be that the tide is starting to turn?
Fortunately not everybody in the Australian media – see
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,25912087-3122,00.html