Queensland - Premier Rules Out Emission Trading Proposal

[hatrack]

QUEENSLAND Premier Peter Beattie has effectively ruled out a state-based carbon trading scheme until at least 2015, avoiding the political fallout of household electricity price increases of up to $100 a year during the election campaign. He was supported by his growth-state counterpart, West Australian Premier Alan Carpenter, who yesterday flatly opposed the scheme within hours of its launch, wanting more evidence that his state would not be adversely affected.

Mr Beattie said Queensland's support for such a scheme was conditional on Federal Government investment in clean-coal technology to mitigate electricity price increases and job losses. But clean-coal technology is still under development and if proven commercially would not be available until at least 2015, and then at a higher cost than current coal-fired power.

"I don't see carbon trading as some sort of panacea in all of this, I see the answer lying with clean-coal technology and then you have carbon trading after that," he said.

The emissions trading plan, flagged to start as early as 2010, was prepared by the National Emissions Trading Taskforce and launched yesterday by NSW Premier Morris Iemma, South Australian Premier Mike Rann and Victorian Deputy Premier John Thwaites. John Howard sought to widen the wedge between the states, warning the proposed scheme would have "a devastating impact on the state of Queensland". "The hardest-hit states under this plan will be the resource-exporting states of Queensland and Western Australia," he said. "Workers will see their jobs disappear and jobs exported to other parts of the world."

EDIT

Yes, John, and without emissions trading, their jobs will be SAFE!

:eyes:

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,20153818-949,00.html