Rambi

To be sure. I would have made it simple. Tax 5% off income tax put 5% on consumption tax. Make the initial change tax neutral. Unfortunately we are a consumer society. The question is how do reduce consumption of carbon in an economy based on consumption?

GarryP

But still less of a clown than Tony, and there's the problem.

The general standard of strategic thinking, planning and implementation in Australian politicians is at about high school level. None of them are actually up to the job they want, and some are so inept that barely scrap primary school standards (that's nah, nah, no Tony).

So far the Greens seem to be the closest to the adults in the room. They at least point out that for it to have an effect, its got to hurt, and petrol has to be included.

Carbon taxes are a last ditch backup measure to address the reality that Australia isn't mature enough to do anything significant for the past two decades, and they need to be smacked so they stop playing up and start moving.

roaringmouse

The way the tax is set up won't work for reducing either carbon emissions or pollution. However saying that, we would be a household better off when it kicks in next July. So I'm neither for it, nor against it!

lancastrian48

Thick politicians...Oz emissions 0.5 % worldwide,so pointless..
Why let off millions of cars if there is a pollution problem ?
Goodbye Juliaahhhhh

tartankoala

As I said on twitter

Cos you can bet that prices will go up more than that and when they do Labor will just turn round and blame the utility companies and the utility companies will blame Labor whilst us poor suckers continue to pay through the nose.

tartankoala

That was brilliant. Politicians have obviously been told that they shouldn't talk with their hands any more so she had to use her head and emphasise every second word. She was like a cross between Paula Radcliffe and a nodding dog.

jad n rich

When is the election? Kevin O7 so I guess this year?

Perhaps one party will drag in some new leader - gawd what a mess

spalen

Im surprised she didnt say "Yous" instead of You - that would have gone down better to the demographic she was attempting to appeal to.

JoeBloggs80

I've got no problem with it.

They actually seem to have used it as an excuse to reform tax structure for the better.

Brisneyland

I didn't see it but I can imagine. That woman sounds like a lobotomised 4 year old reading their "what I did in the holidays diary" out to the rest of the class.

I - made - a - car-bon - tax. It - was - nice.

Amazulu

Not exactly inspiring is she

Bix

You want someone to reduce or stop what they are doing so you take money from them and hand it to someone else How utterly ****** stupid.

Wouldn't it be more effective, more efficient, more sensible and simpler to solely work with the chief polluters?

Ultimately saying to them "Look bud, if you don't reduce your emmissions we are going to cripple your business with fines, so you may as well spend the money working on solutions to comply. We will work with you on it, but you will do it."

Rambi

You were doing well up until that last acerbic paragraph.

Rambi

It's every 3 years. There was one last year so the next should be in 2013 unless it gets called early.

tartankoala

And so it begins,