ID :
193506
Thu, 07/07/2011 - 13:49
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/193506
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Gillard rejects parliament climate sitting
Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott have used a rowdy final day of parliament before the winter break to rehearse their arguments on carbon pricing ahead of weeks of election-style campaigning.
The government will on Sunday unveil all the details of its emissions trading scheme, which will start with a fixed price for carbon from July 1, 2012 followed by a floating price from 2015.
It has been reported the starting price will be $23, with fuel for households and small business exempt and the full price only applying to about 500 of the nation's biggest polluters.
With Labor confident of the support of independents and the Australian Greens to get the laws through parliament by the end of the year, the opposition leader took aim at the prime minister's personal credibility.
As Tony Abbott moved to suspend parliament rules to censure the government after unsuccessfully moving earlier in the day to bring the parliament back on Monday, Julia Gillard turned her back to talk to frontbench colleagues.
"What an embarrassment," Mr Abbott said.
"We've got a prime minister who lied about the carbon tax before the election ... who won't face questions in this parliament and now she turns her back. How childish, how immature, how cowardly is this prime minister?"
Mr Abbott said the "most incompetent" government in the nation's history could not be trusted with the "most complex change" ever.
"The Australian people won't take a dud deal from this government," he said.
Ms Gillard told parliament the nation was tired of "the relentless negativity of the opposition".
"We are a confident and creative country ... today we are called upon to seize the challenge of our age and that is tackling climate change and as Australians we are up to the job," she said.
While she declined to confirm media speculation of a $23-a-tonne starting price, she said the figure of 500 businesses "strongly reinforces the point that this is a price being paid by a limited number of big businesses - it is not being (directly) paid by Australian families".
Ms Gillard said there would be no new forms or red tape for small business - as there was with the GST.
Costs would be passed on to households, which was why the government would provide tax cuts and welfare payment rises to nine out of 10 households, she said.
Labor MPs are expected to be briefed via teleconference with the prime minister on Sunday, ahead of a government-funded advertising campaign on the theme of Australia's "clean energy future" and Ms Gillard visiting businesses and community groups to talk about her plan.
Independent Andrew Wilkie said on Thursday he had long advocated a price on carbon but wanted to see compensation for low-income earners, the fair treatment of high-emitting, trade-exposed industries and funding for renewable energy.
The government will on Sunday unveil all the details of its emissions trading scheme, which will start with a fixed price for carbon from July 1, 2012 followed by a floating price from 2015.
It has been reported the starting price will be $23, with fuel for households and small business exempt and the full price only applying to about 500 of the nation's biggest polluters.
With Labor confident of the support of independents and the Australian Greens to get the laws through parliament by the end of the year, the opposition leader took aim at the prime minister's personal credibility.
As Tony Abbott moved to suspend parliament rules to censure the government after unsuccessfully moving earlier in the day to bring the parliament back on Monday, Julia Gillard turned her back to talk to frontbench colleagues.
"What an embarrassment," Mr Abbott said.
"We've got a prime minister who lied about the carbon tax before the election ... who won't face questions in this parliament and now she turns her back. How childish, how immature, how cowardly is this prime minister?"
Mr Abbott said the "most incompetent" government in the nation's history could not be trusted with the "most complex change" ever.
"The Australian people won't take a dud deal from this government," he said.
Ms Gillard told parliament the nation was tired of "the relentless negativity of the opposition".
"We are a confident and creative country ... today we are called upon to seize the challenge of our age and that is tackling climate change and as Australians we are up to the job," she said.
While she declined to confirm media speculation of a $23-a-tonne starting price, she said the figure of 500 businesses "strongly reinforces the point that this is a price being paid by a limited number of big businesses - it is not being (directly) paid by Australian families".
Ms Gillard said there would be no new forms or red tape for small business - as there was with the GST.
Costs would be passed on to households, which was why the government would provide tax cuts and welfare payment rises to nine out of 10 households, she said.
Labor MPs are expected to be briefed via teleconference with the prime minister on Sunday, ahead of a government-funded advertising campaign on the theme of Australia's "clean energy future" and Ms Gillard visiting businesses and community groups to talk about her plan.
Independent Andrew Wilkie said on Thursday he had long advocated a price on carbon but wanted to see compensation for low-income earners, the fair treatment of high-emitting, trade-exposed industries and funding for renewable energy.
