What a mess.
The New South Wales State (NSW) Government is one of the most unpopular state governments in the history of Australia. Maybe this gives us a clue why. The latest plan is to please the population by taking an unnecessary statewide carbon abatement scheme and launching it on the whole nation:
PRESSURE is growing on the Gillard government to come up with a price on carbon.
“Pressure” according to who? Journalists who want an ETS? Greens who need one. Minor politicians who want to feel more important?
It’s a bit of a stretch. The current state government, which has very little chance of winning the next election, has a wish list where it hopes its local green scheme could go national, and wants to convince the skeptical public with national events and more models?
The extra heat comes with NSW preparing a national launch of its carbon emissions abatement scheme.
The NSW Labor government is modelling a national version of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme, which has operated in NSW since 2003 and has reduced carbon emissions by 90 million tonnes.
More bizarrely, the opposition (who look set to win) thinks it’s worth doing too:
NSW opposition climate change spokeswoman Catherine Cusack confirmed yesterday the Coalition would support the push to take a “modernised” version of GGAS national.
I thought we only had one federal government?
NSW Energy Minister Paul Lynch said the government “has been preparing to transition GGAS to a national scheme”.
Those who want an ETS for religious reasons or self interest are hailing the confusion created by multiple state and federal schemes as a good reason to do one big overarching scheme, as if the only answer to improving 200 bad ideas is to do them on a national scale.
Link: State carbon plan puts heat on Julia Gillard