Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Exhibit 2: The Howard Conspiracy Against An Australian Carbon Market
The Howard Government's overnight conversion to carbon markets and price signals was too rapid. It strained credulity. Is there another sneaky Howard three card trick is on the table? Clinging to power, the Government is reengineering its image and policies on climate change before the federal election this year.
But documents obtained quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald reveal the Government had no intention of setting up a domestic carbon trading scheme as recently as October 2006. A note by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on October 17 said "a national emissions trading scheme, in the absence of similar action globally, would not be in the nation's interest".
Confidential briefing notes written for the Industry Minister, Ian Macfarlane, in September were even stronger in their opposition to carbon trading, casting doubt on the ability of trading schemes to reduce emissions. "Australia does not see the need to impose an economy-wide system on carbon trading," the notes said. Weeks later Mr Howard signalled a dramatic shift in the Government's policy by announcing an emissions trading taskforce to investigate Australian participation in a future global scheme. In a discussion paper made public this month the taskforce found a global scheme was still far off and suggested a national carbon trading scheme, adding there was no time for complacency.
Mr Howard said a national carbon trading scheme could be introduced if there was "reasonable anticipation" of action on a global scale. Mr Macfarlane, formerly an opponent of carbon trading, now says he has an open mind.
The documents show the Government was so worried about the impact of the September visit by the former US vice-president Al Gore to promote his climate change film, An Inconvenient Truth, as to draft detailed points to promote the Government's initiatives on global warming and defend it from any criticism.
Given Howard's track record, he doesn't compromise on what he believes, even to win public support. He only appears to.
But documents obtained quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald reveal the Government had no intention of setting up a domestic carbon trading scheme as recently as October 2006. A note by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on October 17 said "a national emissions trading scheme, in the absence of similar action globally, would not be in the nation's interest".
Confidential briefing notes written for the Industry Minister, Ian Macfarlane, in September were even stronger in their opposition to carbon trading, casting doubt on the ability of trading schemes to reduce emissions. "Australia does not see the need to impose an economy-wide system on carbon trading," the notes said. Weeks later Mr Howard signalled a dramatic shift in the Government's policy by announcing an emissions trading taskforce to investigate Australian participation in a future global scheme. In a discussion paper made public this month the taskforce found a global scheme was still far off and suggested a national carbon trading scheme, adding there was no time for complacency.
Mr Howard said a national carbon trading scheme could be introduced if there was "reasonable anticipation" of action on a global scale. Mr Macfarlane, formerly an opponent of carbon trading, now says he has an open mind.
The documents show the Government was so worried about the impact of the September visit by the former US vice-president Al Gore to promote his climate change film, An Inconvenient Truth, as to draft detailed points to promote the Government's initiatives on global warming and defend it from any criticism.
Given Howard's track record, he doesn't compromise on what he believes, even to win public support. He only appears to.
