The question is, how long will this last, and how long will the public tolerate these two kissy faced politicians?
The vote in the lower house, which was applauded by Labor MPs and spectators in the public gallery, was a crucial test for the government, given its wafer-thin majority. The bills will now go the Senate for debate but will pass comfortably with help from the Greens, probably next month.
After the vote, Prime Minister Julia Gillard embraced Climate Change Minister Greg Combet, who had the difficult job of steering the policy, and even exchanged a peck on the cheek with Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd, whose reported ambitions to retake the leadership are proving a headache for the Prime Minister.
The passage of the bills are a crucial victory for Ms Gillard, whose popularity has fallen steadily since last year.
Under the legislation, about 500 of the biggest carbon-emitting companies in Australia will pay a price for each tonne of carbon. Most of the biggest emitters are electricity generating firms, mining companies and heavy industry manufacturers.
To compensate households, the government is cutting income taxes and boosting payments such as pensions and other benefits, as well as offering various lump sum payments.
The average household is expected to pay about $9.90 a week in extra living costs, including $3.30 on electricity.
However this will be offset by an estimated $10.10 in extra benefits and tax breaks. The Australian scheme will cover about 60 per cent of Australia’s emissions, making it the most broad-based in the world.
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Like a bad dream.
It’s a dark day for us downunder. A tax we don’t want to solve a problem that doesn’t exist and were promissed would never be raised. What can I say…I voted for the other guy.
These guys weren’t applauding:
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/gallery-disrupts-gillard-20111012-1lkdj.html
As an ashamed Australian, I am looking for a not too cold democratic country to spend the rest of my working life. Any suggestions?
Well that Australia officially fudged up.
This is disastrous for Australia.
Maybe the world will learn a lesson when it sees what happens to Australia’s economy after this. Well, there is a small chance that could happen, isn’t there?
I apologise for the stupidity of my Country, and fervently hope that you will not look down at us as some bunch of foolish yokels – which we certainly appear to be.
Voted the damned thing through on my Birthday, too.
It sucks, no wonder they have the 2 worst Prime Ministers in Australia’s history sucking face.
Already the Shire Councils have put in huge claims for compensation that were not calculated. The biggest polluters include the State Governments, so they will be hit twice, from the Shire councils below and the carbon tax from the Federal Government. None of that was modeled.
The underlying assumption is that the rest of the world has an ETS by 2016 at the latest. Further, by law , they have to apply a consequences of legislation to any new legislation or amendment. They just ran through the office saying look at this and ran out again.
They have excluded petrol, a dreaded fossil fuel, but have included power station and coal mine shut downs.
This isn’t a serious government. It is part of the Green Monster Raving Looney Party.
Tony Abbott the leader of the Liberal/National Coalition in opposition has, “Pledged in Blood” to repeal this Legislation and to Dismantle the Bureaucracy associated with it….! Good inspiring stuff!
During Question time he and the Coalition ministers also declared that it was ” Socialism dressed up as Environmentalism”…. That it was a dark day in Australian Democracy….. That if tyranny was the oppression of the many by the few, then Australia is in the grip of tyranny… That Gillard lied and broke her promise to the Australian people when she said, ” There will be no Carbon Tax under a Government that I lead.”
The public gallery was in an uproar with upset and disempowered Australian citizens protesting and being ejected from viewing the processes of passing this despicable piece of legislation that is based on an exaggeration and installed by a lie.
I have this feeling that the Labor Party will come to rue the day that it tried to tax the air that Australian voters breathe….;-)
Election isn’t due till 2013. So we will have to put up with the tax for a year.
Note for non Aussies: Gillard is kissing ex PM Rudd who is rumored to be ready to mount a leadership challenge.
NZers have a Greek ship breaking up on a reef to take the media off this one. I hate to think of the “collaboration” that will take place between NZ and Aus. Horrible, and a dark day for our countries.
I feel bad for any of you Australians out there. But on the bright side, I expect this only to last a couple years.
That woman looked directly into the camera and said, “There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead” – and she’s now introduced one.
Another thing, “about 500 of the biggest carbon-emitting companies in Australia will pay a price for each tonne of carbon”. Included among those “”500 big polludas” are local governments because they run landfills, water and sewerage services. Ratepayers are going to have to pay for the weighbridges to weigh the rubbish to calculate the emissions – and the tax.
Funny how local government didn’t feature in the propaganda which restricted images to belching smoke stacks.
In a few years expect to see a similar picture of Ms Gilliard.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/8490639/Government-business-support-to-fall-off-a-cliff.html
This is really going to hit home when the power companies fold because they cannot afford to buy the coal to produce the power. Seeing how that plays out may be fun to watch (from a distance), but then again you may not be able to watch it as it will happen in the dark …
This will certainly be an interesting case study.
(Arguably) The worlds most stable economy embarking on a massive carbon tax. Interesting given it’s main industry type.
The kiss of Judas. Gillard not only stabbed Rudd in the back to get the leadership but has done the same to the rest of the country after promising never to introduce a Carbon Tax under her Government. The outrage over here is enormous. I’ve never seen so many hostile posts to articles on the net. Abbott has pledeged to bring it all undone if elected in 2 yrs time but the Labour Party are attempting to make it impossible difficult to do so.
Behind the scenes: ->One of Gillards advisors is former Shell executive and current Club of Rome member Ian Dunlop. Made money in Big Oil, now involved in the Climate Change movement…
If anyone wants the local feel try Jo Nova ->, they totally ignored alot of there citizens concerns to force this through.
Shame really as I was watching TV last night ‘Coming to America’ and there is a bit in the underground which reminded me of Sydney central train station and how I use to pass through every day to work and how I’d like to be standing there agian as I love the country and the people (Yes I know the local bat farm is much more beautiful).
Shame whats happening to Oz now though, that feeling is now defunct.
I wonder if the power companies have thought about one week on, one week off to save on there carbon output?
500 buck a year (low estimate).
I hereby resolve to redouble all and every approach to paying fewer taxes.
I will also now stop buying (more expensive) renewable energy and tell them quite clearly why.
As to anyone who thinks it will go away in a few years, I have seen many taxes added in my life, but I’ve never seen one removed yet.
I just spent a bunch of time reading that Sydney Morning Herald article.
Actually, I am in awe.
I have rarely seen more dishonest reporting, or a more transparent manipulation of the readership’s opinion. The pro-tax arguments are highlighted, and god only knows how far they had to dig to find those (or they’re plain fabricated, which seems more likely). I stand in amazement at how many people are applauding this ridiculous tax. Have they actually fooled the Australian people that much? If so, I weep for a once-great land.
Yes, the sheep have voted for lamb for dinner. It’s incredible.
I have several online friends in Australia. Not a single one of them has anything good to say about this tax. None of them know anyone who does. I’ve asked.
Here are some quotes:
and
and
and
and
There is no way I would ever say that Australians are stupid… however, clearly there are a lot of stupid Australians (and Canadians, and Americans, etc.) Sadly, the stupidest of the stupid seem to be running the show in Australia. They are apparently so divorced from reality that they don’t see they have committed an economic suicide, made themselves the laughingstock of the rest of the world, and virtually signed their own political death-warrants.
I’d like to track down these jubilant commenters in a year or two and see how they’ve fared.
I’d best get myself over to the Devil’s Kitchen, where I can appropriately express myself.
What a sad day for democracy in Australia – a minority government beholden to the Watermelons and several Independent lunatics and misfits, ramming through 18 pieces of legislation, most of them concerned with grand-fathering, for chrissakes!
Extraordinary. I shake my head in utter disbelief. At least this guarantees that the Australian Labor Party will become a dim footnote of history within a very short time.
The worldwide Climate Change debate has moved on so much, (just ask Mike Mann) such that I expect in five years or so it will be swept under the carpet with all the rest of the arficialiy inflated public cirises.(Like SARS and Bird Flu) This action by the Gillard Labor Government is a bit like mandating that every telephone must have a dial a few months after the push button keypad was invented. The rest of the world is moving on and will never put in Carbon Taxes.
The truly nasty aspect of this tax is that the government has already budgeted in the money they will raise from selling the carbon credits so the opposition if they win the next election will have a $50Bn black hole before they even start.
Great! this will help our US and Canadian economies come back maybe this year even, as we lose another previously formidable competitor for our coal and steel and manufacturing industries. Good on ya, mates!
The leader of the opposition Mr Abbot stood and clearly said that the tax would be removed if he were to be elected. The mirror image of Ms Gillard’s promise not to implement it.
Likewise the reverse in fortunes about to take place.
Abbot’s tone was triumphant, he knew it was an election winning moment.
Gillard when she responded sounded exactly like a woman signing her own ‘political suicide note’.
It’s going to get interesting Down Undah.