Australia's Parliament defeats global warming bill

Email
Print

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 3:46p.m.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (Reuters)

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (Reuters)

By Rohan Sullivan

Australia's Parliament has defeated legislation to set up a greenhouse gas emissions trading system, throwing a central plank of the government's plans to combat global warming into disarray.

The Senate, where Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's government does not hold a majority, rejected his administration's proposal for Australia to become one of the first countries to install a so-called cap-and-trade system to slash the amount of heat-trapping pollution that industries pump into the air.

The 41-33 vote followed a tumultuous debate in which the conservative main opposition party at first agreed to support a version of the government's bill, then dramatically dumped its leader and switched sides after bitter divisions erupted within the party.

Rudd had wanted the legislation passed before he attends next week's UN summit on climate change in Copenhagen so he could portray Australia as a world leader on the issue.

The government's next step is unclear. Rudd could use the failure of the bill to call early elections, but is unlikely to do so before next year, when elections are due anyway.

Australia is a small greenhouse gas polluter in global terms, but one of the worst per capita because it relies heavily for its electricity on its abundant reserves of coal, which also make it the world's largest exporter of the polluting fuel. As the driest continent after Antarctica, it is also considered one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.

The European Union has a carbon trading system, as do some US states. Canada and New Zealand are among countries considering or in the process of implementing them.

Under the government's plan, an annual limit would be placed on the amount of greenhouse gases allowed to be pumped into the atmosphere and permits would be issued to regulate that ceiling. The permits could be bought and sold, setting up a market system that would make reducing emissions potentially profitable for polluting companies.

Opponents of the legislation say it amounts to a huge new tax on polluting industries such as power generators, which would put a crimp on the economy and lead to higher prices for consumers. Such costs would have no effect on the level of global greenhouse gas emissions, they say.

Climate Change Minister Sen. Penny Wong accused the opposition members who voted the bill down of being climate change deniers out of step with the world.

"This is about doing our bit as part of a global agreement, this is about responding to what is a global challenge. This nation, too, has to act," Wong told the Senate. "You have to make polluters pay. If you do not make polluters pay you will not tackle climate change."

AP

Become a fan of 3 News on Facebook and on Twitter.

Post a Comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide


(Won't be published)



Comments

03 Dec 2009 12:55p.m.

Sallina wrote:

Most of us in Australia want some form of ETS, the problem is most of us don’t understand what Mr Rudd’s ETS entails. All we know is its going to cost us hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes. In Mr Rudds short stay, he has turned a $95 billion credit into a $300 Billion deficit and blamed the “financial crisis”. When Mr Rudd handed out billions of dollars for a so called Stimulus, he said that it was for Australians to spend thus stimulating our economy. "go out and buy that fridge, get that new Flat Screen TV, spoil your kids with xmas presents". Cut to what happened. Tens of millions of dollars went to Aussies living overseas so they could stimulate the economies of their new homes. The money that stayed in the country, people were too scared to spend and the ones that did paid their debts instead. How is that stimulating the economy? David Jones and Meyers certainly didn’t see any of it. Failed policy. He sent a message to people overseas saying “our borders are open, we won’t lock you up” so people flooded in with their poor kids and where are they? If they're not floating in the ocean somewhere refusing to disembark, they are locked up like sardines on Christmas Island. Failed Policy. He decided to spend more money we don’t have by giving everyone $1600 worth of roof insulation. Installers had to register to be a part of the program. So courier drivers, dog handlers, cable tv contractors, taxi drivers, people with utes, tall people, short people and every other unqualified man and his dog registered. What happened? Over 50 houses so far have burnt down due to shonky installation, 3 people have been killed, whether you live in a 3 bed house or a cardboard box it will cost $1600 and yet another failed policy. Like I said, we want an ETS but more and more people are waking up to the fact that everything Mr Rudd touches turns to kaka. Well I for one Mr Rudd am sick of the kaka stains so bring on the election.

03 Dec 2009 11:28a.m.

sallina wrote:

Most of us in Australia want some form of ETS, the problem is most of us don’t understand what Mr Rudd’s ETS entails. All we know is its going to cost us hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes. In Mr Rudds short stay, he has turned a $95 billion credit into a $300 Billion deficit and blamed the “financial crisis”. When Mr Rudd handed out billions of dollars for a so called Stimulus, he said that it was for Australians to spend thus stimulating our economy. "go out and buy that fridge, get that new Flat Screen TV, spoil your kids with xmas presents". Cut to what happened. Tens of millions of dollars went to Aussies living overseas so they could stimulate the economies of their new homes. The money that stayed in the country, people were too scared to spend and the ones that did paid their debts instead. How is that stimulating the economy? David Jones and Meyers certainly didn’t see any of it. Failed policy. He sent a message to people overseas saying “our borders are open, we won’t lock you up” so people flooded in with their poor kids and where are they? If they're not floating in the ocean somewhere refusing to disembark, they are locked up like sardines on Christmas Island. Failed Policy. He decided to spend more money we don’t have by giving everyone $1600 worth of roof insulation. Installers had to register to be a part of the program. So courier drivers, dog handlers, cable tv contractors, taxi drivers, people with utes, tall people, short people and every other unqualified man and his dog registered. What happened? Over 50 houses so far have burnt down due to shonky installation, 3 people have been killed, whether you live in a 3 bed house or a cardboard box it will cost $1600 and yet another failed policy. Like I said, we want an ETS but more and more people are waking up to the fact that everything Mr Rudd touches turns to kaka but that doesnt bother him because we end up with the mess, not him. Bring on the election.

03 Dec 2009 10:53a.m.

Ben wrote:

Still a climate change denier? You might as well be a Jewish holocaust denier and an evolution denier too. Even George Bush eventually had to admit that global warming was a reality, although he tried to put a positive spin on it: apparently it was a good thing, since it would reduce heating bills across the country. (A month or two later hurricane Katrina hit.) The thing is, a lot of people seem to be getting their information confused: they say there's no scientific consensus on whether or not the atmosphere is warming. That's untrue. No scientist worth their salt would deny that warming is occurring: we have simple and irrefutable measures of this. The controversy was over just how much of this warming was due to the activities of humans, and in recent years it has become better and better established that the human influence is very substantial. So even that controversy is rapidly disappearing. As is the opportunity to do anything about it. If you're looking for a conspiracy, why not look to the global warming denial opinion pieces published in the NZ Federated Farmers magazine, whose authors, if you do a search on them, turn out to be members of think-tanks in the US funded by oil giants like Exxon? Who has the motive here to fund a conspiracy? Who would profit? Do you really believe there's a secret cabal of Greenies who have managed to infiltrate the highest bastions of science and governmental advisory bodies to push their dastardly agenda? What is their dastardly agenda? You may well bury your head in the sand, but your butt is still going to get scorched.

03 Dec 2009 09:56a.m.

Sceptical Guy wrote:

Hey Ecotechnologist - You are correct, Global citizens certainly SHOULD do a bit more research before saying and acting in a way that will have a negative effect on millions of people around the world - yourself included. We should NOT be denying cheap energy to the developing world without a darn good reason.

Monbiot is a journalist, so you should also read Dellingpole. Also Monckton, McIntyre, Anthony Watts, Fred Singer, NZ Climate Science Coalition, NIPCC, SPPI, the Manhattan Declaration, the Global Warming Petition Project. For BOTH sides of the story, see climatedebatedaily.com. And read BOTH sides (with as close to an open mind as you can muster), not just the one you already agree with - I do.

Being an AGW sceptic does NOT make me a polluter. Deforestation is bad in anyone's book. So is excessive nitrogen from agricultural runoff, silting up of coastal waters, etc, etc. I try to reduce, reuse and recycle where possible. I just don't regard CO2 as pollution. Remove the CO2 from our atmosphere and the planet DIES!

03 Dec 2009 07:53a.m.

anno wrote:

Hey Techno-political ranter all those sites you quote are all derived from the same agenda, How to push for the New World Order using every trick in the book!. Indeed I have read Monbiot he calls for Canada to be banned from the commonwealth for exercising their democracy, Now no doubt he will want Australia boycotted as well!. You forgot to mention the Celebs who tell us what to do!. Lucy Lawless is a scientist Yeah right 'Scientology'.

03 Dec 2009 12:05a.m.

Ecotechnologist wrote:

Too bad that such ignorance morons such as Dwayne still exist. Regardless of overwhelming evidence, you choose to believe the handful of conspiracy theorists. Read Monbiot, read IPCC, WHO, UNEP, UNDP, the climate change trends are well documented. And, despite your "Climate Change Denial", the aim is to use less fuel, pollute less, become more efficient and thereby save money, breathe cleaner air and drink fresher water. Is that such a terrible aim? This crazy negative attack that emanates from the critics is so narrow minded and short sighted. Your denial inhibits the major gains that come from such improvement. Selfish and Stupid. Global citizens have a responsibility to do a bit more research before saying and acting in a way that will have a negative effect on millions of people around the world. You sh** in a river and it kills the children downstream. Remember that.

02 Dec 2009 06:31p.m.

Dwayne wrote:

Well done Australia finally a country standing up to bad, politically-influenced Climate Change science.
There is simply not enough data to suggest a warming trend exists, and to think that in the 1970s J P Holdren (US advisor) came out and said that the earth was cooling and we should prepare for iceberg tidal waves!
What is really happening is that we will be funding through bad tax a global government as stated in the Copenhagen treaty and there is no vote on this - you have no choice.
God help us.

02 Dec 2009 06:17p.m.

Neil wrote:

How Come this news doesn't get to be aired on the 6 o'clock news Media biased filtering.New World Order.

02 Dec 2009 04:43p.m.

Craig Young wrote:

No, it doesn't. It probably sets the stage for an Australian general election where the disunited federal Liberal Party will get clobbered due to its decapitated turkey impersonations since the eviction of John Howard from their federal parliament at the last election.