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NATIONALS Senate leader Barnaby Joyce has dismissed the Opposition alternative to the Government’s emissions trading scheme, saying Labor won’t buy changes because it wants a double dissolution trigger.
The Government yesterday pulled out all stops to discredit the proposal. Climate Minister Penny Wong labelled it a ”mongrel” and claimed it would increase investor uncertainty.
Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull unveiled modelling for a ”greener, cheaper, smarter” scheme that would double the Government’s emissions reductions – to 10 per cent on 2000 levels by 2020 – while saving $49 billion (40 per cent) on the Government’s plan over the next 20 years.
Mr Turnbull and his emissions trading spokesman, Andrew Robb, were anxious to have something positive to put forward to counter inevitable criticism when the Opposition votes down the Government scheme in the Senate on Thursday. But the plan, a long-term hobby horse of consulting firm Frontier Economics, which did the modelling, is not even Opposition policy and has not yet been put to the party room. Mr Turnbull also admitted it had not been considered when, as environment minister in the Howard government, a scheme was being prepared. He said this particular scheme had not been presented before, although he conceded the broad approach had been around for some time.
The modelling was commissioned jointly by the Opposition and independent Nick Xenophon. Senator Xenophon appeared at a joint news conference with Mr Turnbull, but Nationals leader Warren Truss did not.
Mr Turnbull said the time had come for the Prime Minister to sit down with the Opposition and independent senators and ”discuss a better scheme”. But the Opposition is not looking to move amendments this week. They would have to wait until the Government brings the legislation back a second time, when, if defeated, it would qualify as ”trigger” legislation for a double dissolution.
Senator Joyce said the modelling added to the debate but the Government was never going to consider Opposition amendments seriously.
”They don’t want a result, they want a fight
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