The Gillard government has a severe issue with communication and its ability to sell its policies.  

Take the Carbon Tax for example.  Now, what we know is that the vast majority of Australians understand that man made climate change is real.  Hence why the agenda from both parties has moved past the "science" and now we are debating the action to take.  The majority of people understand that direct action has been tried and failed. Yet, people still don't support the Carbon Tax? Why?  

It has nothing to do with the fact that Gillard lied. It does however have to do with the fact that noone bothers listening to the government anymore because the messages are just so jagged. In this case, I am of the opinion that the government should not be selling the climate tax as the required mechanism to stop the "Greatest moral challenge of our time" but rather it is a sustainable living measure; sell the message just like the successful Target 150 campaign in Victoria for water consumption.  We know Climate Change is real, we know electricity prices are growing, and we know population is growing, and is inevitable that it continue to grow.  So, we know we have to start living in a more sustainable way, one way or another.  With this in mind, introduce the carbon tax to generate increased demand in the renewable sector and provide compensation to people so they have the incentive to reduce their energy and save money they get as a tax cut.

What do others think? Why is it that this government simply can't sell a message, or their advisors seem to always come up with longwinded frutile messages that never interest anyone, and if anything just frustrate the electorate?  

And MAN only contributes about 3% of it

The lefties are telling us that Man-made carbon is somehow different from nature-made carbon

IT'S THE SAME FREAKIN CARBON

freediver wrote on Jun 14^th, 2011 at 7:09pm:


I'm not complaining about them not responding to polls - if anything I like the fact they don't pamper to public opinion all the time. My concern is that they released their policy without much information knowing full well that explaining a tax and why it's a good thing is a lot harder than Direct Action, which can be seen as being principle because results are more easily conceptualised.   Basically, the way they've gone about this policy, like so many other policies, is from the outset putting people on the back foot. They needed to, and need to with future policies, provide proper reasoning for their legislation and how it contributes to their vision for Australia. Hence why I'm saying I'd much prefer they got away from the old tale of this being the greatest moral challenge of our time, which gives opportunity to the likes of denialists, and instead took it upon themselves to explain the need to become more personally sustainable, why this is needed, how it contributes to reductions in climate change and prosperity for Australia, and how the Carbon Tax helps achieve this.

Like I said, I'm all for long-term politics.  It's refreshing.  

I can't imagine they could have done much better. They had to release it some time. Better to give people time to get used to the idea. That way when they release the details the debate will focus on the details rather than the scaremongering.