Australian Carbon Tax

In Australia at the moment there has been some discussion on the introduction of a Carbon Tax, or the taxation on Carbon Polluters (C02 emitters). In these times where pollution is even more an issue than it was 40 years ago, when US scientists began the enormous research behind Global Warming, and later Climate Change. In any sensible society it is presumed that a tax on polluters would make sense. An incentive to the polluters is that you get credits for cleaning up your systems and investing in renewable clean technologies. Again, this does make some reasonable sense. You create the pollution, you clean it up - find ways of reducing the pollution and you get rewarded.

Australia is a strange place today, especially when it comes to Global Warming and the issue of Climate Change. The opposition party does not believe climate change is a reality, in fact the leader of the opposition, The Australian Liberal Party/Coalition has, several times, claimed that 'climate change is crap'. This may be the view of Mr Tony Abbott but it is a hard view to sell the younger generation who are seeing disaster after disaster on the climatic scale. And future predictions are not ones children today want to think about. The younger generations do have a sense of fear, but it isn't the one being sold by politics, it is the one where they wonder will they have food and shelter in the future because of their parents, or the adults wastefulness. This is quite hard to explain to a 12 year old, and I pity parents who have to try and explain why we won't do anything to help our planet to even younger children.

There are claim that climate change is not real, but no matter how many times any one says this they still cannot deny pollution is real and something needs to be done to bring the big polluters to task. Australia’s energy producers have been encouraged for many years to fix their end of the pollution cycle, and they have even taken government money to do so, but they have made no progress and in a way simply turn their backs on the whole issue; very much in the same way the tobacco industry forced people into litigation before it admitted its product caused cancer - that took 30 years. Australia is faced with it own cancer, the one that is degrading our air and environment; will Australia have to litigate polluters before anything is done?

What will this Carbon Tax do if introduced? At this stage this isn't known, as the policy is still being formulated and it is open for any and every one to share their opinions about how and when such a tax should be used and applied. There is much fear mongering exasperating itself through media networks and opposition politicians, who want to force the whole issue without proper discussion, and without any input from the Australian people and industry itself. The fear in Australia is driven by a few well known facts that will come into play with the Carbon Tax.

1) Energy supply will rise, because energy companies will try and offset their commitment as much as possible. This reaction is also a drive to block the Carbon Tax. Create a deep sense of financial fear in the population and stop anything being done at all; and the polluters will continue on as nothing had changed. This is not a good reason to not have a Carbon Tax. To view it another way; someone comes to you and says, if you buy my product I will not steal your car. In this instance, if you make us clean up the pollution we will make you pay. This is a clear threat that in many other circumstances may cause legal eyebrows to be raised. Food and services will also rise slightly, how slightly will be determined on the certificate costs for carbon, but early estimates based on sketchy evidence says something like a cost of living rise across the board of about $350 to $650 a year. This could equate to $15 a week on average. But that said; negotiations are underway in the creation of support structures to help with this price rise, so the rise maybe reduced to as little $5 a week. It has to be said that until a proper policy is released that all panic and speculation is wasted energy and time as you cannot argue against something that has not been through the formation process yet. Yes, indeed write down concerns and what you may like to see included or excluded and send to the Prime Minister's office. This is only a discussion phase, nothing more.

(sub note:)

Because of the effect the tax would have directly of big business and the corporate sector there has quite noticeably been a fear campaign launched by the Opposition Party and the media and Energy sector. This must be put into some kind of perspective and naturally it is wise to understand what is driving the fear. The media, though Rupert Murdoch are having some of their corporate interests threatened by the NBN and are reacting badly to this, they are also major contributors to the Australian Liberal Party, and Rupert Murdoch is also an anti-climate change sceptic. The energy sector and mining sector will be hit with taxes and naturally have the money to fight against this Carbon Tax, but these two sectors are also major contributors to The Australian Liberal Party - you only need find party contribution declarations from the last election. How much this information and how much influence it plays with the current position of the Liberals is unknown, but it does help to explain at least some part of the vehement attacks on the government over the NBN and the Carbon Tax.

2) This is not a tax on working Australians or those who are unemployed or on a pension; this is a tax on possibly 1000 of Australia's big polluters, who do receive government money now to stop their pollution. Yes, and the Prime Minister has stated this many times, over and over, there will be some price increases, and they have been shown above, but rebates will be designed to help people adjust to the new reform. The only ones who will really feel the tax will be the big polluters, and naturally they will do next to anything to ensure this reform does not go through - so expect to see mining company style advertising against the tax, and an increase in the Liberal Parties attacks on climate change. This will happen. When the wealthy are threatened, they will spend millions once again to tell us how poor they are. Anyone remember this year’s 10 Billion dollar snub to Australians by BHP. Because the opposition blocked the mining tax, the so called poor mining company only made 10 billion in profit on the first quarter. You will see the same claims, supported by the Liberals come at you once again. Already, editorials, radio programs, TV spots are on the war path, even the Insiders are claiming the failures of the government. Australia entire media network is owned by the same people this tax will effect – the more they start to shout the closer you need to question the motives. The mining tax was under the same attack from all sides - $ The poor got their 10 Billion and then thanked the Liberals for their hard work. This minority government is claimed to be woeful and inefficient, yet 80 pieces of legislation have been passed through parliament under the minority rule - this is the sign of a well-functioning government. So, when faced with the truth of how the minority government is doing you find it does not add up with what the media are saying - far from it. Big Money is unhappy, and it is making itself heard. It is making all the Carbon Tax discussion sound like you are going to be taxed, the big money is threatening Australians and it is using a political party to do its bidding. How do you confront this, how do you satisfy yourself that what is happening or could happen is right for the country and for the future? It is hard, and it will get even harder, but it is simply wise to sit back and let all the shouting carry on until the actual policy is released for public debate. You will be surprised it is not the evil twin sister of Golem but a well thought out policy that we need to adopt. You need to ask this major question. Why don’t the Liberals and Big polluters want the policy to even be formed for debate? Why are they attacking something they don’t even understand yet? What is it that is really being threatened here?

This is a link made by a 15 year old girl, my daughter, and she cannot vote, neither can her friends. This goes for all young teenagers in Australia; they are relying on us to do something, to stop the selfish arguing and stop the decay of our country.

The Carbon Tax isn't a new invention of the Australian government, and nor will it see Australia taking some kind of first or unique step in the world. Over 30 other countries, including China and India have incorporated a system like this into their industries - so the claims Australian jobs will be lost overseas or industry will be moved off shore are false and misleading. There will be no place for dirty Australian industry to move to; it will have to clean up here, because doing it here will be harder than say China where the regulations and taxes are even greater than what is going to come into Australia.

Do you believe in climate change and global warming? It doesn't matter and it hasn't mattered since about 1982 - the world and Australia has to do something about its local pollution output and it has to be done now, because even if we start now and continue to change every day into the future it could be 1000 years until some good comes from it. If we sit back and say ‘1000 years, who cares’, then you are condemning the world to 10 000 years of suffering, death and devastation. Does that sound dramatic? Wait until September and add up how dramatic things have been thus far; it isn't going to get better quickly.

Carbon Tax is coming, it will affect all Australians in some way, and it will affect us for many, many years to come, that is clear; if all settles down, then it is not a hard thing to remove a tax - it has been done many times in the past, but like the man who decided to wait to see the flood coming before believing in the flood, you will drown, and possible take the lot of us with you.