Research prepared for the State and Territory Government’s[i] show that 126,000 full-time jobs will be lost or foregone throughout every area of Australia under the Government’s rushed and bungled scheme, the US has admitted countries do not need to have legislation in place before Copenhagen and the Business Council of Australia have destroyed the Government’s argument that ‘certainty’ requires a vote this year.

 

“45,000 jobs gone in NSW, 32,000 jobs gone in Victoria, 28,000 jobs gone in Queensland, 13,000 jobs gone in Western Australia, 6,000 jobs gone in South Australia, 2,000 jobs gone in Tasmania and 1,000 less jobs in the Northern Territory and regional areas will be devastated. This work confirms the secret NSW Government modelling,” said the Opposition Spokesman on Emissions Trading Design, the Hon. Andrew Robb AO MP.

 

“These job losses are the real and tangible results of the Rudd Government rushing ahead with an emissions trading scheme before we know what the rest of the world will do.

 

“In anyone’s language this policy is a disaster.  The Government likes to dismiss any research that is not its own but this is no longer a credible response.  There is now research on the table prepared for every state and territory government in Australia, the Australian Senate, the Minerals Council of Australia, the Australian Coal Association and many businesses and organisations. This cannot be ignored.

 

“Despite Mr Rudd’s protestations, there is no need for this policy to be forced on Australians alone at a time of great global financial unrest, except for the Prime Minister’s desire to play politics,” said Mr Robb.

 

“The claims by the Prime Minister and Minister Wong that we need to pass our legislation now – prior to the rest of world – to be taken seriously at the Copenhagen International Climate Conference in December have been dealt a further blow by the US Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change.

 

“The envoy, Mr Pershing, has revealed that US legislation may not be passed by the time of the meeting and has said overnight that ‘..it does not block a deal. You can have a deal without having the legislation.’[ii] This follows comments by the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Yvo de Boer, who said that the UN does not require countries to have legislation in place before the Copenhagen meeting.

 

“The Government must defer the vote on this legislation until we have a better idea of what the US Obama administration will do and until after the Copenhagen conference.

 

“On top of this, the Business Council of Australia has revealed in a letter to the Opposition[iii] that there is no certainty under the Rudd Government’s emissions trading scheme.  This is a monumental blow to the Government given their desire to quote the business council as a source of support at every opportunity.

 

“The Business Council write that ‘The legislation under consideration does not include the critical details including the definition and treatment of individual emission-intensive, trade-exposed industries. It has been suggested that much of this detail will not be available until later this year, but it is this very detail that will be critical to businesses.  Businesses must know what aspect of their business will be included in the scheme, the level of permits they will receive and whether their competitiveness will be maintained.’

 

“So much for certainty!

 

“If the Government does not defer this vote they will be choosing to create unemployment.

 

“They will be voting against Australian jobs, they will be voting to send the Australian economy to the back of the pack,” said Mr Robb.

 

“We will not accept Mr Rudd’s rushed and bungled scheme. It is a disaster.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Media Contact: Stuart Eaton, 0433 298 620

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