Antinuclear

How Australia’s carbon tax could be used for the public good

Let’s give the money into the greening of the economy, the jobs creation, which in Germany they had legislation like this because of the Greens a decade ago and they’ve created 350,000 jobs….put it into local business, put it into the renewable energy business – that includes in rural and regional Australia, create the jobs in this country and keep the profits in this country. And at the same time clean up our economy. Now – so it can compete with the rest of the world

Bob Brown joins Lateline,  ABC, Ali Moore, 04/04/2011..……..the Greens’ position is that the compensation should go to householders, not to the polluters as Tony Abbott would do. And let me just make this important observation here: his policy would rip $10 billion out of the taxpayers’ money pool and give it across to the big polluters for a voluntary scheme. You know, it’s not going to work.

And Treasury analysis is that if you’re going to make it work, you’d have to put $30 billion in. Now that’s money that’s otherwise not going to be available for the common good in this country and no compensation for householders, so you take the money off the householders and give to the polluters. What we’re working to is a scheme which takes it off the polluters and gives it to the householders…

……Let’s give the money into the greening of the economy, the jobs creation, which in Germany they had legislation like this because of the Greens a decade ago and they’ve created 350,000 jobs. They’ve transformed their economy across to one relying more and more on renewable energy, energy efficiency and it’s the strongest economy – strongest part of the German economy. We can do the same, but you don’t do that by taking money off ordinary people and ordinary businesses and giving it across to the big polluters…..
the coal companies, who have known that this problem was coming for decades, and let me remind you, Ali, that the coal corporations in this country export two-thirds of their profits and they are now wanting billions in compensation. Well a lot of that money’s gonna go overseas. I say, we say, put it into local business, put it into the renewable energy business – that includes in rural and regional Australia, create the jobs in this country and keep the profits in this country. And at the same time clean up our economy. Now – so it can compete with the rest of the world. World-leading economists say that’s the direction to go and the Greens are taking that same advice and putting into political action…..
Lateline – 04/04/2011: Bob Brown joins Lateline

April 5, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, climate change - global warming | climate change - global warming