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The Australian Carbon Price Mechanism
Authors: Piers MaclarenPublication: New Zealand Journal of Forestry, Volume N.Z.J.For. 2012, Issue N.Z.J.For. 57(1) 2012, pp 24, May 2012
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry
Abstract: Whereas New Zealand has a generally equitable climate, this is not always true for our western neighbours. Australia has a long history of droughts, and sometimes floods, on an almost continental scale. Some people fear that recent catastrophes may be linked to anthropogenic global warming and thus there is, at least in some quarters, an urgency to address the issue. On the other hand, Australia, together with the USA, was the staunchest hold-out against Kyoto-type action. The ruling Labour Party appears to be bitterly divided over its implementation (it was the reason for Julia Gillard’s seizure of power from Kevin Rudd), and Tony Abbot of the Liberal Party recently condemned the CPM as a “great big new tax”. Indeed, he congratulated New Zealand’s national party for “watering down” the ETS that they had inherited, and said that their “sister party” in Australia will “go further and do better”. He said that “should we inherit any carbon tax we won’t just reduce it, we will rescind it”.