Cheers as Australia's carbon tax hits parliament
Cheers erupted in Australia's Parliament House after Prime Minister Julia Gillard presented her bill for a new pollution tax she hopes will help counter climate change.
The deeply divisive levy will mean the nation's biggest producers of carbon emissions will be forced to pay to pollute from July 1, 2012 -- initially at a fixed price before moving to a market-based trading scheme.
"It's time to deliver the action on climate change we need," Gillard on Tuesday told the House of Representatives.
"To act on climate change. To cut carbon pollution."
Australia, one of the world's worst per capita polluters and a major exporter of coal, has long grappled with how to combat climate change and previous bills to introduce emissions trading schemes have been defeated.
Gillard has the numbers to get her Clean Energy Bill 2011 through parliament, but it is bitterly opposed by the conservative opposition which argues it will be ineffective, impact on jobs and increase the cost of living.
Thousands have protested at rallies nationwide against the levy, accusing Gillard of lying when she said ahead of her narrow August 2010 election win there would be no carbon tax under a government she led.
Gillard acknowledged there had been years of heated debate but said most Australians now agreed carbon pollution was changing the climate and harming the environment and economy in the process.
"Today we move from words to deeds. This parliament is going to get this done," she said.
The government hopes the tax will help lower emissions by 80 percent of 2000 levels by 2050, thereby helping slow global warming and save natural treasures such as the Great Barrier Reef.
The bill, due to be voted on on October 12, provides for a fixed carbon price for three years, starting at Aus$23 (US$23.8) per tonne of carbon pollution, before moving to a cap and trade emissions scheme in 2015.
The government has pledged to use much of the money raised to provide tax cuts, increase family payments and invest in clean energy.
Gillard, who was cheered by the public gallery after making her statement, urged lawmakers to accept the carbon price.
"The final test is this: are you on the right side of history?" she asked.
(c) 2011 AFP
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Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 2.8 / 5 (18)
Tax and redistribute, its the socialist way -- as is lying.
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 3.1 / 5 (15)
It has no place on this forum.
Politicians who have climbed onto the Global Warming band-wagon and have splurged billions on 'climate science' to justify their new taxes have drawn otherwise reputable scientists into disrepute.
The publication of this article furthers this regrettable trend, giving Julia Gillard's pronouncements some semblance of scientific validity.
...and the article does not mention the rowdy scenes in the gallery by very vocal dissenters... so this is not even a balanced news report...
Shame on you, Physorg!
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 2.3 / 5 (9)
That sums up CO2 tax beautifully! Sweet FA science but plenty hopes and possible helps, which sound a bit far fetched to say the least and certainly more like someones belief rather than a fact. I hope they pass this so we can see how badly it fails and make the naive populations in other countries realise paying taxes and hoping will get you nowhere!
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 2.7 / 5 (12)
Here's an interesting article on the Carbon Tax and the state of politics in our country.
http://heathenscr...dilemma/
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 3.5 / 5 (11)
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 3 / 5 (14)
The truth is that Julia Gillard had to lie and promise not to do this to get elected. If Australia wants this, why did she have to lie?
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 2.3 / 5 (9)
The Labour Party, who she is leader of, did not get elected. She had to form a coalition government. She stated that, if her party won the election then there would be no Carbon Tax. The Labour Party didn't win the election. So, who lied?
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 2.8 / 5 (9)
Most of the votes that the Labour Party lost at the last election went to The Greens. People who were upset about the Emissions Trading Scheme being dumped by the Labour Party voted Greens instead. Google it, dude. Its common knowledge. Off the top of my head, I think it was a 12.5% increase to the Greens. Thats a big swing. Now, she has formed a government with a Green Party MP. She has to take their views in mind when forming policies. That's democracy.
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 3.5 / 5 (8)
I'm an American, and I wish our political parties were banned or something. Our congress is gridlocked over everything along party lines, and nobody has a large enough majority to actually do anything, so essentially for this entire term congress is a powerless do-nothing.
The Republicans and Tea Party have lost their minds, BTW, so hopefully some people will wake up and quit voting for these retards.
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 3.2 / 5 (11)
DogberTard apparently believes that people who pay taxes should have every penny of that money distributed back to the people who paid the tax.
In other words, DogberTard thinks that all taxes should be abolished.
This would be the end to governance of course. His world would then be ruled by corporate dictate.
I have little doubt that he really believes this, because he really believes and has publicly endorsed many idiotic things.
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 2.8 / 5 (11)
You have only the American people to blame for that.
If you vote for a TeaTard, expect to be ruled by a Tard.
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 2.8 / 5 (11)
That Global Warming band-wagon is called SCIENCE my little Tard boy. Science.
Now you go get your wagon and roll yourself over to the children's playground where you belong.
Adults have serious work to do.
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
I had a soft spot for him early on, plugging away with his idea, but now...
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 2.6 / 5 (5)
So clearly you must believe that all developed or developing nations which exhibit overpopulation and/or sky-rocketing growth rates (growth rates exceeding a few tenths of a point for sustainability) should immediately have to put into effect 1 child policies, right?
And that all nations must regulate and manage their uniquely possessed resources to the benefit of the world, right?
And that it's impossible for all nations of the world (many of which don't allow freedom of speech, religion, or education) to agree on a singular course of action that is "best" for everyone, because everyone has different goals and ideals, right?
Okay, just checking.
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (5)
Try not to lie, Vendi. I did say that lying was an attribute of socialists upon which you immediately made up lies about me.
Only an idiot or an anarchist believes that there should be no taxes. Taxes are necessary for roads, defense, etc. I am not against taxes.
I am against taxing those who work to distribute those funds to those who won't work. I know that you get those "feel good" emotions when you play Robin Hood, but forcing people into poverty is never good. Socialism does not improve the state of the poor, it seeks to impoverish everyone.
Fair taxation for necessary services is good. Unfair taxation to further some socialist fantasy utopia is bad.
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (5)
If you believe social programs only distribute to people who "won't work" then I think you have a warped view of who and what the lower third of the population is really dealing with.
In reality, many of the people you mock end up working much harder than you probably ever have in your ignorant life, and the only people who benefit from it tend to be those who are already wealthy.
The government pays the earned income credit and refundable tax credits because people simply cannot make enough money to have an honest living on what employers pay them.
People are expected to work full time and pretty much stay in school their entire lives now to keep up with technology, just so jackasses can pay them what amounts to an inflation adjusted income equaling about 1/4 of what they made in the 1960's, while owners and CEOs get richer and richer.
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 4.2 / 5 (5)
I just want to give you an example. I guess about 50 years ago, my grandparents bought 40 acres of land AND a house, and then a few years later they built a new, state of the art (for the 1960's) 3 bedroom house, which is still standing. The old house was not sold, but was just converted into a chicken coop. Then they somehow found time to build and own a roughly 3 bedroom equivalent camp down on the river, with modern plumbing and everything. He was a 5th or 6th grade dropout and an offshore mechanic, she was basicly just a stay at home mom, and somehow managed to leave 40 acres, 2 houses, and $180,000 behind after two heart attacks.
Today, an offshore mechanic couldn't buy 40 acres and two houses the SAME SIZE in this area with his entire life income.
It's called "Reaganomics": cut taxes on the wealthy top 10% and allow them to accumulate 90% of the wealth, and then it's normal people's fault, eh?
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 4.8 / 5 (5)
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (5)
That about sums it up.
It's not even possible for "normal" people with high school or college education to accomplish that in today's world, except the odd extreme stroke of genius or luck, because everything is a rip-off and there are so many regressive taxes and fees on normal people if they try to do anything to get ahead..
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (5)
it's the low income and middle income people's fault for not working hard enough? REALLY?
did your dumb ass REALLY say that?
You must be a Rick Perry or Ryan Paul fan.
My God, get a life idiot.
Sep 14, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (4)
What was just shown on the Rachel Maddow show was absolutely shocking and horrifying.
The republican audience in that debate..the comments by Perry and Ron Paul...
These people, including the audience, are EVIL, just plain evil.
The republican allegedly "pro-life" audience cheered and shouted out "yeah" when the candidate was asked whether a 30 year old without insurance should die if he's sick and unable to pay for medical help, or in a coma.
This is the allegedly "Christian" conservative party in this country.
They are absolute evil, and certainly know nothing about real Christianity.
I know, I'm in the wrong place, but then again, I'm banned from all the churches and allegedly "christian" forums anyway, but THIS republican attitude is nothing short of satanic. It's about as anti-christian as anything could be. It's absolutely shocking how insanely evil the republican PEOPLE, not just the candidates, have become in the past several years.
Sep 14, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (4)
I'm 30 years old, and I'm having quite a lot of bad luck and bad health lately, and those bastards, and especially their own AUDIENCE, just told me literally that my life doesn't matter and doesn't count to them.
I don't know what my response is supposed to be to these lunatics. These people are like the NAZIs or something: just toss the sick and unfortunate and other undesirables in the trash.
Admittedly, Ron Paul wasn't insane enough to say that, but a significant number of people in the audience cheered and shouted "yeah!"
Does the first ammendment give that bastard the right to essentially threaten normal people's basic inalienable RIGHT to life?
Who do these lunatics think they are, and how did it come to this that the pro-life party is in reality the pro-death panels party?
I wish we had cameras on the audience. The republican people in this country have become monsters..
Sep 14, 2011
Rank: 2.3 / 5 (6)
Sep 14, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (6)
Quite a rant there.
My grandfather and father both started with nothing and did well much like your grandfather. I have worked hard all my life trying to get ahead. When I was a child, I worked hard on the farm. I started working off the farm when I was 13 years old. I have never stopped working. I haven't done as well as my grandfather and father either.
You know why? Because the social programs (War on Poverty) beginning in the 60's and the general socialization of America has created so much dependency and taxes that the working person generally cannot do what your parents and my parents did. Where one man could support a family and the wife could be a stay at home mom, we became a society where both father and mother have to work just to get by. Single mothers, of course, have become dependent on the government hand outs and we have many more poor single parent families because marriage reduces the government dole.
Sep 14, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (4)
You state that you are 30 years old and imply that you have no medical insurance. Why? You appear capable of working. You appear reasonably intelligent. Why do you think someone else should pay for your medical care? From your story, I expect that your parents did not expect anyone to take care of them. Neither did my parents. How did you turn out so different from your parents?
Sep 14, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (4)
Why are you banned from churches and Christian forums? My experience with churches is that they will accept just about anyone who wants to change. Do you get "banned" because you are disruptive or disrespectful? I can't imagine any other reason. You use terms like "My God", so I must presume you know about God and therefore you must know what church is about, so why are you being banned?
You don't have to answer this, but it is surreal to hear someone say that they are banned from churches.
Sep 14, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
You're right, the Carbon Tax is only around for a few years. It will be replaced by an Emissions Trading Scheme, where the price on Carbon will be dictated by the market. The Carbon Tax was always going to be a temp thing, until the ETS is phased in in either 2014 or 2015.
Sep 18, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
You've already paid for it, by paying taxes your whole life. Paying taxes gets you roads, public safety, school and university education, but not health care at public hospitals?! The absolutely, most basic thing ever -- your life?! Get your priorities straight.
Back on topic: It's courageous of her to actually do something. Every country is in a deadlock, no one wants to be the first to actually invest in preventing climate change, because you only need a few countries in denial to nullify the effect of the policies of all others. And the temptation is great to just forget long-term goals, cheat and get rich -now-.
Sep 18, 2011
Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
I suppose it takes a certain amount of courage to lie to your supporters in order to get elected. It would be more courageous to keep your promises.
Yes, having gotten elected, the cheating and getting rich now part seems to be the agenda.
Sep 18, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
She didn't really lie. Her party didn't win the last election outright - it was hung parliament, so she needed to form a coalition to get the majority, which included a handful of regional independents and the Greens party which is far left/socialist. Because of this, she had to play to their tune on certain policy fronts, the introduction of carbon trading being one of them.
Had she won office outright, she would not have introduced the scheme.
The other thing to note is that in the election prior to the last, both major parties (and the electorate) were united in introducing an ETS, and that it was the Greens that scuttled it at the time (as they thought it didn't go far enough). Oh the irony! Is it any wonder politicians can't get a clear majority any more - both sides stink!
Sep 18, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
You know what I'm talking about. One of the excuses for not mandating carbon limits is that if only a few countries cheat and decide not to do it, the whole effort is lost, and the honest countries lose competitiveness. So we keep driving towards a head-on collision because nobody wants to chicken out.
Sep 18, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
free trade is not free because the u.s. manipulates the price of oil to subsidize 'free trade'. eventually as oil prices get higher imports will get costlier, and 'free' trade will cost a lot more. so....
jeff rubin, convincingly proposes that carbon taxes are needed to basically accelerate the process by which the market tells the world that all this cheap oil is getting more expensive, because one day , it will be more expensive.
it's cheaper and simpler to tack on a 10% import tarrif to ALL physical goods or 'value added' , because that stuff is only cheap because shipping is cheap. why bother with all the wasteful beauracracy that would be necessary to evaluate 'carbon cost' of shipping of different products. just slap on the tarrif , simple, bright line rule, no bearacracy and rules to game.
----international agreements are bunk. real carbon tax = unilateral tarrifs
Sep 19, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (2)