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Australia Must Price Carbon as Soon as Possible, Bandt Says
2010-10-13 05:30:01.0 GMT
By Marion Rae
Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Australia's Greens Party want a
carbon price imposed quickly and won't automatically back policy
proposed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, whose minority
government relies on their support, lawmaker Adam Bandt said.
"We want to see a carbon price introduced as soon as
possible," Bandt said at a conference in Melbourne today. The
Greens want a carbon levy, starting at A$20 ($20) a ton and
rising each year, and public investment and loan guarantees for
the development of clean renewable energy.
Gillard needs to retain the support of Bandt and three
independent lawmakers after wooing them to form a government
after the country's deadlocked August election. Australia in
April shelved climate change laws until after 2012 amid
opposition in parliament's upper house Senate and a lack of
action by other countries. Gillard pledged to work toward
charging for emissions after clinching the backing of the Greens
whose support rose to a record 12 percent of the vote on Aug. 21.
Gillard has established a multiparty committee to study
options for introducing a price on carbon in a country where
coal accounts for more than 80 percent of power production. The
group met for the first time last week and talks will continue
through next year.
"Our participation on the committee does not mean we will
automatically support any outcome," Bandt said. "We need an
approach that is both effective at cutting pollution and that
will ensure that investment in clean energy can move forward,
but also an approach that is capable of being supported by the
parliament."
The committee is "developing a plan for carbon pricing,
and potentially a range of complementary measures that can be
implemented as quickly as possible," Bandt said.
For Related News and Information:
To see top Australian news: TOP AU <GO>
Top energy stories: ETOP <GO>
Top environment stories: GREEN <GO>
--Editors: John Viljoen, Clyde Russell.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Marion Rae in Canberra at +61-2-9777-8679 or
mrae3@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Iain Wilson at +61-2-9777-8645 or
iwilson2@bloomberg.net
