Tony Abbott’s pledge to scrap the carbon price is revealed again today as a shocking waste of time and money. From the AFR:
The Energy Supply Association of Australia said falling demand for power meant the Coalition must review its energy and climate change policy if it gains power at the September 14 federal election.
The warning comes amid growing support by multinational companies and major business groups for a market-based scheme, such as an emissions trading scheme, linked to the currently low prices set in European and other international markets.
…Business groups and companies… worry [Direct Action] will be expensive, complex and will put the cost on taxpayers.
And manufacturing and resource company executives say they have postponed making long-term investment decisions, in part because of the uncertainty over the carbon price under a Coalition government.
…Mr Warren said it would be challenging to design an effective baseline and credit scheme, as envisaged by Direct Action, to enable companies to be paid by government if they reduced their emissions below their baseline. This included setting the baseline for individuals companies.
It’s direct action all right. At the speed of a fast moving army of carbon pen-pushers setting the baseline carbon output company by company. What ‘liberal’ can possibly find this idea compelling?
Labor’s two best national interest policies – the NBN and carbon pricing – are being butchered by a Coalition happy to abandon principle in pursuit of power. Heaven help reason if it ends up on the wrong side of a “battle line”.
