Today is a great day not only in Australian history, but also in world history. It marks the day when people of character and sensibility pushed back against an overwrought and pointless green agenda, and pushed back in a big way. They’ve had enough, and they’ve scraped the Krudd off their shoes and are moving forward.
Tony Abbott has won the Australian election in a landslide, and vows to abolish the carbon tax as a first order of business. Abbott has declared Australia is “once more open for business” in claiming victory in Saturday’s election.
It is a huge blow to the Rudd-Gillard labor party and their green goals, which were built on a lie foisted on the Australian people. In 2010 when Gillard said “no carbon tax” in a videotaped speech that has been seen as the key moment Australians lost trust:
Then, shortly after she was elected prime minister, she acted as if those words were never spoken, and implemented a carbon tax anyway. There’s nothing worse than a liar who is oblivious to their own lies, and in my opinion, this was the catalyst that set the stage for the end of labor’s green dream as well as their dominance in government.
Abott says he will abolish the carbon tax. In an August 5th Herald Sun article:
If elected, the coalition on day one would suspend the CEFC (Clean Energy Finance Corporation) and prepare legislation to shut it down permanently. It’s vowed to introduce legislation within a fortnight designed to abolish the carbon tax, and all government climate agencies associated with Labor’s clean energy laws.
From the Herald Sun today:
“Today the people of Australia have declared that the right to govern this country does not belong to Mr Rudd or to me or to his party or to ours but it belongs to you, the people of Australia,” Abbott said.
“And you will punish anyone who takes you for granted.”
Andrew Bolt wrote on his blog: “Finally, a man worthy of the office of Prime Minister – and humble enough to hope it.”
Congratulations to my friends in Australia, the Krudd is kaput and the carbon tax is going away, and almost certainly Flim Flam Flannery too. What a great day!
Cook, Ove, and Sou, this Krudd’s for you!
Meanwhile, back in the USA, the Washington Post seems oblivious to this loud message from down under (h/t to Steve Milloy):
The first thing to do is to build the cost of pollution into the price of energy through a simple carbon tax or other market-based mechanism. Though the tax revenue could be rebated right back to people, higher sticker prices for fossil fuel-derived energy would still give them reason to change behaviors and demand more energy-efficient appliances.
It’s like deju vu all over again, because Australia’s carbon tax was setup just like that, and it was flatly rejected by the people of Australia today. Let’s hope we don’t have to deal with the same madness here in the States.
UPDATE: Australian Eric Worrall writes in a short story submitted to WUWT just moments after this was published says:
Tony Abbott, the man who once described climate change as crap http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Abbott#Climate_change , has won a landslide victory in the Australian election, an election which has seen substantial swings against Labor and the Greens.
While we Australians have been disappointed by Abbott’s genuflection towards green dogma, with his promise to replace the hated carbon tax with a watered down form of carbon pricing, we live in hope that it is simply window dressing, to appease greens within his party. Abbott has given us grounds for such hope, with statements to the effect that his budget to mitigate climate change will be capped, regardless of whether the allocated funding achieves its stated goals, and a promise to tighten up the allocation of the national science budget. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/abbott-vows-to-cut-futile-research/story-fni0cx12-1226710934260
Abbott has also spoken out against Tim Flannery http://joannenova.com.au/2013/04/jobs-and-junkets-are-on-the-line-abbott-could-axe-flannery-and-the-climate-commission/ , the government doommonger general, who did more than anyone to deliver Australia’s white elephant desalination plants, with his strident support for predictions of permanent drought (end of snow, anybody?).
So its exciting times for climate skeptics down under – and potentially, a global warning for the ambitions of politicians and political parties which are getting too cosy with the greens.
Most countries in Europe are left-enough to suit their needs. How about Greece?
After they get rid of the Green agenda crap they need to restore the gun rights to their citizens
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice !!!
Today Australia – tomorrow voters throughout the rest of the western world will also wake up to the fact that their left-tards have similarly attempted to impoverish them through the pursuit of punitive anti-growth, anti-jobs, anti-democratic and misanthropic legislative agenda. All based on ‘scientific’ fallacy and concocted graphs.
Come on, Abbot – you beauty.
“Australia liberated from their long national green nightmare” not by a long shot!
There is still hope for humanity down under. Now if we could just find some here in the States.
Unfortunately there are enough Greeen Lunatics in the Senate to upset some of Tony Abbot’s plan. Australian Federal politics is a Bi – Cameral system.
It may come to another forced election to completely rid Australian Politics of the “Green Scourge”.
The Australian Senate has members elected for six years. Half of which go up for election every three years in conjunction with the lower house election.
Complicating the incoming governments agenda is an eccentric Australian Mining billionaire \who has won some crucial places in parliament. Would you believe he is desperately anti green however has won seats in the political system with assistance via the Green party.
neasdenparade
Being British I knew next to nothing about Australian politicians, so all I can say now is Abbot appears to be barely a nanometre away from the previous government’s climate policies, he is just far better at hiding it….
It is conceivable that Abbott has duped us – he is after all a politician. But Abbott has (recently) struck out at icons of the Australian green establishment, such as Tim Flannery, and has spoken of his desire to cap emissions mitigation, regardless of whether the allocated budget achieves its stated goals.
And Abbott originally won the Liberal (Conservative) party leadership by toppling Malcolm Turnbull, as a rebellion against Turnbull’s attempt to offer bipartisan support for Labor’s carbon tax.
So I would say there is substantial evidence that Abbott thinks spending money to mitigate climate change is cr@p, just like he says, and will work to contain the damage, even if he can’t completely stop the waste of money and resources.
I’m hopeful that we can have a parliamentary inquiry into the science of climate change. I’m going to suggest as loudly as possible that Dr Dennis Jensen should chair the inquiry. Barnaby Joyce should be on it too. 🙂
You should drop in a link tot he 50to1.net video just for fun.
BBC News reported on this today saying immigration and the economy were the main factors behind Labour’s annihilation.
No mention at all of Gillard’s lies about the carbon tax.
Congratulations, Australia!
“Though the tax revenue could be rebated right back to people…”
Yeah, that’ll happen.
If Abbott doesn’t make good on his word of abolishing a carbon tax as promised, our good mates in Australia should undertake a recall election.
And if such a solution isn’t available to them, that would be the first order of business.
Australia is a constitutional monarchy. We use the Westminster Parliamentary system of “democracy” devised in Britain in around the late 17th century. Unfortunately, we have let the “American” media style pantomime “politics” invade what is popular as apposed to what is “needed”. So we have(had) Rudd “who wants to save Australia”, and Abbott “who wants to save Australia”. Which fool do you follow?
RockyRoad says:
September 7, 2013 at 7:37 am
If Abbott doesn’t make good on his word of abolishing a carbon tax as promised, our good mates in Australia should undertake a recall election.
And if such a solution isn’t available to them, that would be the first order of business.
———————————————————————————————————–
Depends on what the Senate looks like when the votes are all in. If the Liberal Govmt cannot get legislation through the senate then it will likely lead to a ‘double-dissolution’ election – which would likely be disastrous for the opposition..
A song for Rudd-Gillard-Flannery (a 1970s moment from an old geezer like me)
The greens and labor party will lose control of the Australian Senate in the middle of next year when the half of the Senate elected yesterday take office, so it may take until then to get it repealed.
Eric Worrall I hope you’re right, but replacing a carbon tax with a tax on carbon or a carbon price wasn’t my idea if change, plus didn’t he state how important the climate was only last week? Of course he is entitled to change his mind as they all are, but if he’s even considered such issues in the runup to the election I see little hope of any difference. I am not aware of any country as yet without such policies now so if Australia did indeed drop all taxes then it would set a precedent. But I very much doubt that’ll happen somehow.
A significant battle has been won. The war, however, is far from over.
If Abbott is smart, he will seek to soften the anger from the greenies by supporting some environmental programs based on sound science and economics, and I hope he can do the same successfully.
But if he gets hooked on the CO2 boondoggle, he too must go.
Pretty terrible how democracy is about booting the other party out, not voting in good principles.
As if Abbott is not another fake-conservative central planner who benefits from a crisis to garner votes from us hapless fools. Every three years, the enthusiasm is disconcerting. Abbott will send us to war if Syria escalates, he will provide socialism for the middle class and wealthy and special privileges for corporations and banks through stimulus and govt programs, he will continue the welfare state, foist bureaucratic morality upon us and continue to operate in the collectivist mold. Yes, but he’s no worse that the ALP brand of collectivism. That does not make him good.
Plus consider the fact that abolishing the CT was a campaign promise. It’s not a done deal, he has to negotiate with the senate. Do you think govt is likely to prosper through a carbon tax or do you really believe the government cares about you?
Yep…I’m real excited.
Government is unnecessary.
David A. Evans says:
September 7, 2013 at 7:06 am
“Where would they go?” The UK unfortunately. 🙁
Someone close the doors please!
DaveE.
Very unlikely. Most of those people are “pommy-bashing” self-styled republicans. They wouldn’t want our “warm beer” (although Aussie beer has to be drunk frozen because the taste is horrible!) and they won’t want to be exposed to the ribbing their terrible cricket team has earned them!!
Anthony,
Please allow me to thank you for sharing news of the election that swept a new government into power in Australia by a landslide! Tonight was a great victory in Australia for rational thinking and an overwhelming rejection of Climate Change Alarmism by defeating the ALP/Greens alliance.
The ALP/Greens ran a relentless campaign of mis-information, straight from the Climate Alarmist playbook that has lead to draconian policies that have cost jobs and stifled growth in Australia by blowing out the cost of electricity with Renewable Energy Targets, a CarbonTax and proliferation Green-Tape. Just some of the consequences can be seen in this analysis of RET & CarbonTax: http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/australias-carbon-tax/
So, I feel it’s important to recognise YOUR contribution to the election result by providing independent facts that helped to educate so many people in Australia, as it does around the world.
Anthony, I want to sincerely thank you again and ALL of the positive contributors to WUWT for the great work that you do and the outstanding efforts in making WUWT one of the finest Climate Change resources online. This is indeed a great day for freedom.
Regards,
Geoff.
The same will probably happend in Norway on Monday. Today’s redgreen government looks not to be reelected. The problem is still all the enviro radicals(ecoterrorists) they have placed in the government to attack and prevent freedom, economic growth and progress? How to smoke them out and get rid of them?
@Jimmy Haigh
It’s become somewhat of a tradition here that people swear they will leave the country if the vote doesn’t go their way… the next person to leave will be the first person I’ve ever personally seen do it (from either side).
Of course it’s not unique to Australia but it’s really getting tiresome.
I have 2 close friends this time around that said they were leaving if Rudd lost, trust me they’re not going anywhere.
Abbott still has a tough road ahead of him. The makeup of the Senate is critical, as is the role of independents. But this is one heck of a good step in the right direction. .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q2fY7I-ZGE&feature=youtube_gdata_player