http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/carbon-tax-compensation-fires-up-industry/story-fn59niix-1226038942842

ONE of the independents Julia Gillard will rely on to get her carbon tax across the line has warned it may never become a reality.

New England MP Tony Windsor today said he would not vote for a package of climate change measures “that does nothing”.

“There is no carbon tax, there may not be a carbon tax,” Mr Windsor told ABC radio this morning.

Mr Windsor said people in his rural NSW electorate were concerned about the lack of detail around the proposed carbon tax.

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet released more details of the government's proposed carbon price yesterday, pledging more than 50 per cent of revenue from the tax would be returned to millions of households and reassuring businesses on the impact of the scheme.

The Prime Minister played down Mr Windsor's comments this morning, describing them as “perfectly consistent with everything he has ever said about pricing carbon”.

“He has said consistently, and I very much respect this, that he would wait to the end and judge the full package,” she said.

Ahead of a visit to his electorate by the government's chief climate change adviser Ross Garnaut today, Mr Windsor said he was happy to work with other members of the multi-party climate change committee, but wouldn't guarantee his support for the carbon tax.

“The Prime Minister doesn't have the numbers as I understand it,” he said.

“When things get into the parliament people have a vote; I have a vote, others do as well. You can never get anything until it gets through a minority parliament,” he said.

“I'm not inclined to vote for something that does nothing if we can get something that does something I'm more than happy to vote for it.”

Ms Gillard said consultations with business, community and environment groups and unions would ensure a balanced package, which the government would present to parliament in the second half of this year.

“What Tony Windsor has said to me and said publicly is that he does believe climate change is real and that we need to tackle it, he does believe that pricing carbon is the best way, an important way of tackling climate change,” she said.

“But for an individual legislative package he's going to look at the package and wait to the end and then judge.”

Prevailing wrote on Apr 14^th, 2011 at 6:59pm:


Big polluters will pay for this tax then pass pass it on to the consumers through higher prices

So the ones who will pay will be the people buying goods and services - who in Australia does not pay for goods and services?

has anyone noticed the decreasing coherence of Prevailing's posts? Bedwetter Bill is at times posting on both sides of an argument with  and insanity that seems to be increasing. And day now he wil stop posting for a few months while he takes yet another enforced 'holiday' in a mental hospital.

Prevailing wrote on Apr 14^th, 2011 at 7:06pm:



There are no proposal on the table because you can't legislate it

Prevailing wrote on Apr 14^th, 2011 at 7:31pm:


see my point about his decreasing sanity??

longweekend58 wrote on Apr 14^th, 2011 at 7:33pm:

Bugger orrrffff Troll - Reported.

Prevailing wrote on Apr 14^th, 2011 at 6:59pm:

Socialism is all this is. Redistribution of wealth. It does nothing for global temperatures but it does get the wealth redistributed.

Nonsense, socialism produces eugenics and scientific dictatorship, I am not advocating the philosophy of HG Wells and George Bernard Shaw - clearly I do not advocate the killing of the unfit and poor.  I advocate taking it all off the rich - take it all and redistribute it equally so that all can live a decent life and none a privileged life.  Also the rich should be tightly regulated by Government to curb their criminal activities.