With Tony Abbott and Bronwyn Bishop relegated to the backbench, we may be able to get back to policy discussion.
So far, Malcolm Turnbull has said there will be no change to the Coalition’s climate change policy. He needs to rethink that.
Farmers are more aware of the dangers of mining and the connection between extreme weather and climate change. The National Party should be encouraged to understand the importance to their constituents of urgent action.
Malcolm is an eloquent speaker and a previous Minister for the Environment. There is no better person to make the case for greater action. In his own words…..
- “I will not lead a party that is not as committed to effective action on climate change as I am.”
- “I’ve always believed the Liberals reject the idea that governments know best. Schemes where bureaucrats and politicians pick technologies and winners. Doling out billions of taxpayers’ money is neither economically efficient, nor will it be environmentally effective.”
- “if you want to have a long-term solution to abating carbon emissions and to achieve – if you want to have a long-term technique of cutting carbon emissions, you know, in a very substantial way to the levels that the scientists are telling us we need to do by mid-century to avoid dangerous climate change, then a direct action policy where the Government – where industry was able to freely pollute, if you like, and the Government was just spending more and more taxpayers’ money to offset it, that would become a very expensive charge on the budget in the years ahead.”
- “And the conservatives and David Cameron in particular take the view that there is an enormous opportunity to get onto the front foot and get into a leadership role in terms of clean technology, low-emission technology, that this is a coming technological revolution, it’s going to be – just like the information revolution or the industrial revolution, the green tech or clean tech revolution will be as significant as that as we hopefully move to de-carbonise the world’s economy. Now, that is a very important technological shift. Britain has a prime minister with vision who wants to be part of that change.”
- “So for me it was very much a matter of personal integrity and principle, and that was why I took that very, very painful, anguished step of crossing the floor and voting against my own party.”
- “The whole argument for an emissions trading scheme as opposed to cutting emissions via a carbon tax or simply by regulation is that it is cheaper – in other words electricity prices will rise by less to achieve the same level of emission reductions. The term you will see used for this is “least cost abatement”.
- “Not that anyone would doubt it, but I will be voting for the ETS legislation when it returns in February and if my colleagues have any sense they will do so as well.”
So how about it, Malcolm… have you convinced you yet?
[textblock style=”7″]
Like what we do at The AIMN?
You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.
Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!
Your contribution to help with the running costs of this site will be gratefully accepted.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
[/textblock]
