The announcement by Climate Change Minister Penny Wong that the Labor Government will exempt agriculture from an emissions cap in the Emissions Trading Scheme is hardly worth getting excited about as it is nothing new. Senator Fiona Nash, Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate and Senator for NSW, said agriculture was not going to be included in the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme until at least 2015 anyway. “I don’t trust this Government not to change its mind on this and what is to stop this Government from introducing regulations that will make farmers pay in some other way,” Senator Nash said. “This hollow gesture from the Labor Government was reported in The Australian on 28 October. That report also said: ‘The Rudd Government appears prepared to accept a Coalition demand to exclude agriculture from its emissions trading scheme but impose regulations to ensure the farm sector reduces greenhouse gases produced from livestock and crops …Government sources indicated it was considering a compromise package that tackled agricultural emissions in other ways’. “Nothing has changed. The ETS is a massive new tax on all Australians but it is going to hit regional Australians hardest of all. At the same time the rest of the world is not on board, our major trading partners are not on board, and as we produce only 1.4% of the world’s emissions it is going to make absolutely no difference to the environment or the climate. “While of course everyone would want agriculture exempted from a potential ETS, we have to see this for what it is, a gesture. “The Nationals will not stand by and see regional Australia belted by a massive new tax that will make no difference to the world’s temperature. “Even if agriculture is excluded farmers will still be devastated by the extra costs that will be imposed. The increased costs for fuel, transport, electricity – input costs such as fertiliser, packaging and cement – will still fall right in the laps of our farmers. Food processors such as abattoirs are included and we all know who they have to will pass their increased costs on to – our farmers. “My Senate colleague Barnaby Joyce has an anti-ETS petition on his website that has attracted almost 10,000 names in less than a week. Let’s send this Government a clear message that the ETS will do nothing to change the climate and Australia would be reckless to sign up to something so punitive when no other country has.”
The announcement by Climate Change Minister Penny Wong that the Labor Government will exempt agriculture from an emissions cap in the Emissions Trading Scheme is hardly worth getting excited about as it is nothing new.
Senator Fiona Nash, Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate and Senator for NSW, said agriculture was not going to be included in the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme until at least 2015 anyway.
“I don’t trust this Government not to change its mind on this and what is to stop this Government from introducing regulations that will make farmers pay in some other way,” Senator Nash said. “This hollow gesture from the Labor Government was reported in The Australian on 28 October. That report also said: ‘The Rudd Government appears prepared to accept a Coalition demand to exclude agriculture from its emissions trading scheme but impose regulations to ensure the farm sector reduces greenhouse gases produced from livestock and crops …Government sources indicated it was considering a compromise package that tackled agricultural emissions in other ways’.
“Nothing has changed. The ETS is a massive new tax on all Australians but it is going to hit regional Australians hardest of all. At the same time the rest of the world is not on board, our major trading partners are not on board, and as we produce only 1.4% of the world’s emissions it is going to make absolutely no difference to the environment or the climate.
“While of course everyone would want agriculture exempted from a potential ETS, we have to see this for what it is, a gesture.
“The Nationals will not stand by and see regional Australia belted by a massive new tax that will make no difference to the world’s temperature.
“Even if agriculture is excluded farmers will still be devastated by the extra costs that will be imposed. The increased costs for fuel, transport, electricity – input costs such as fertiliser, packaging and cement – will still fall right in the laps of our farmers. Food processors such as abattoirs are included and we all know who they have to will pass their increased costs on to – our farmers.
“My Senate colleague Barnaby Joyce has an anti-ETS petition on his website that has attracted almost 10,000 names in less than a week. Let’s send this Government a clear message that the ETS will do nothing to change the climate and Australia would be reckless to sign up to something so punitive when no other country has.”
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