Climate change minister Greg Combet to introduce carbon tax bills

combet

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet will introduce the carbon tax bills today. Picture: Ray Strange
Source: The Daily Telegraph




AUSTRALIA is one step closer to a carbon tax with a package of 18 bills to be introduced to parliament today.


Opposition climate action spokesman Greg Hunt said the Government’s timeframe only allowed 35 hours to debate the entire package.

“That’s less than one minute of debate per bill per member – and even that assumes that one in five members don’t speak at all,” Mr Hunt said.

But Climate change Minister Greg Combet dismissed these complains and said the bills would be debated as one package.

He said draft laws already received 300 submissions, and since 1994 there had been 35 parliamentary inquiries relating to climate change.

“It really is time we got on with it,” he said.

Mr Combet will introduce the package to parliament shortly after midday.

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The Australian reported the bills would include changes to clarify its economic objectives and to give the Government discretion to exempt some medical gases, such as asthma sprays, from the scheme.

The draft laws will be referred to a parliamentary inquiry before the lower house votes on them in October.

Mr Combet insisted every federal MP would be given the opportunity to debate the government’s carbon pricing legislation.

The Senate would sit for an extra sitting week and for longer hours on some sitting days to accommodate the package and other government legislation.

“Everyone will have an opportunity to speak on the bills,” Mr Combet told ABC Radio.

“It’s not as if there hasn’t been an extensive debate and a lot of policy work in the lead-up to this.”

The government wants parliament to approve its legislative package before Christmas, six months ahead of the planned starting date for the carbon pricing scheme.

Mr Combet denied suggestions the government was trying to ram its legislation through parliament, taking aim at Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

“Tony Abbott’s misinformed people, deceived people, told lies about things,” he said.

“I don’t expect the coalition to make much in the form of a constructive debate.”

Mr Abbott said it would be a “travesty of democracy” for the government to rush its legislation through parliament, especially as it had no mandate for a carbon tax.

He vowed to repeal the laws once a coalition government was elected, despite concerns it might cause disruption to business.

“It’s never disruptive to get rid of a bad tax,” he told ABC Radio.

“It’s always advantageous to reduce business costs and they don’t want this tax and if they get it, they will want to be rid of it as quickly as they possibly can.”

 

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