Aussie PM Tiptoes Away From Carbon Tax Uproar

Guest essay by Eric Worrall

h/t JoNova – Aussie Climate Enthusiast Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, member for Goldman Sachs, has walked back an apparent attempt to introduce a new Aussie Carbon Tax after his own MPs vigorously rebelled against the idea.

From JoNova;

9 mins: He is asked about an energy “emission intensity scheme”.

Josh rejects any “economy wide approach”. “”What this review has indicated is we will look at a sector-by-sector approach. The electricity sector is the one which produces the most emissions — around a third of Australia’s emissions come from that sector.”

OhOH:

Frydenberg: We know that a large number of bodies have recommended an emissions intensity scheme a baseline and credit scheme.

Any chance of that happening?

10 minutes Frydenberg “Wait and see… we want to hear from the experts on the lowest cost of abatement… thats what we owe the Australian households and businesses.”

Full programme: http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/news/audio/am/201612/20161205-am-fullprogram.mp3

The backlash didn’t take long to reach a crescendo;

Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff Peta Credlin claimed she had never seen such a reaction from backbenchers on an issue like she had yesterday.

“My phone has not stopped all day. People are really angry that they sense the party will re-litigate those issues which they had considered closed and dealt with,” she told Sky News last night.

Read more (paywalled): http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/cory-bernardi-slams-liberals-carbon-pricing-on-power-companies-idea/news-story/60cbcadb271acba5d978aed9237238e6

The Turnbull government later issued a categorical denial;

…

The Turnbull government will maintain its blanket ban on the introduction of an emissions trading scheme and has ruled out an increase to the renewable energy target ahead of its long-awaited review of its climate change policy next year.

Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg will today announce the government’s terms of reference for its review, which will look at how Australia can meet and expand on its target to reduce emissions by 26 per cent to 28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030.

…

Read more (paywalled): http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/climate-policy-review-to-focus-on-emissions-target/news-story/306781fd1248d6e27eebeef500a28943

Climate enthusiast Malcolm Turnbull ousted skeptic PM Tony Abbott back in 2015. Since then Turnbull has fumbled decision after decision, almost losing an election intended to consolidate Turnbull’s climate friendly mandate.

This apparent attempt to revisit the hated carbon tax, opposition to which delivered a landslide victory to Abbott, is simply the latest in a series of disastrous missteps climate enthusiast Malcolm Turnbull has perpetrated on the Australian People.

I suspect many in Australia’s government will be wondering how long they can continue to support a leader whose misjudgement almost cost them the last election, and whose unbridled enthusiasm for imposing unpopular green policies will likely cost them the next.

Update (EW): Fixed a typo