MARIUS BENSON:                     Andrew Robb one certainty in this complex issue is that the Government’s Bill will be defeated in the Senate this evening or at some stage today. And then the real negotiations will begin the Government’s point is that this debate has been going on for months, years really and they have yet to set a concrete proposal a single amendment from the Opposition.

 

ANDREW ROBB:                        Well the Government has played nothing but politics for this Bill now such a long time they have had a take it or leave it approach we’ve put all sort of propositions we’ve identified for months the key flaws in the bill which will see jobs exported and emissions exported and very little done to abate emissions in Australia. This Bill is deeply flawed and the Government has not listen to anybody for months and months and months. They are playing politics with it and they really need to defer the vote in prospect if not we will vote it down and then we need to get to some serious business about getting this Bill right.

 

MARIUS BENSON:                     This is a very complex issue can I get your view on one central fact within the debate which is the level of carbon that’s safe. What do you think is the carbon count, what parts per million do you think is safe in the atmosphere?

                                               

ANDREW ROBB:                        Well we can only go with the sort of scientific view and you know I’m not a scientist so we rely on the view of scientists that’s why we gave support for the Government’s targets. 5% unconditional and 15% - 25% conditional. Again we are informed as best we can by the opinion of the experts.

 

MARIUS BENSON:                     But the experts are divided on what is the safe level of carbon some argue for 500 parts per million some say the current level of 387 is dangerously high.

 

ANDREW ROBB:                        Well I am not qualified to adjudicate between the scientists but we have to as a political party seek to you know take advice on these matters and do our best to respond in an appropriate way but no at the same time expose the community to unnecessary risk. At the moment the current Bill, the way it’s designed will export jobs and emissions and do nothing about reducing the level of CO2 in the atmosphere the very question that you’re asking about.

 

MARIUS BENSON:                     Now the latest contribution from the Opposition was based on report from Frontier Economics, an analysis from Frontier Economics that modelling was put forward by you as a substantial basis for considering amendments to the Government’s proposals. Now Frontier Economics analyst Danny Price is quoted in the Australia Financial Review this morning as saying he provided your model, he says of models “macroeconomic modelling is bordering on the occult, not even a black art’. It seems a fragile basis for your latest proposal if that’s the analysts own assessment.

 

ANDREW ROBB:                        Well the analyst, the analyst used, Danny Price Frontier Economics used the Government’s own modelling for the proposal that they have put forward for consideration. It is used the same assumptions, the same modelling, the same people who did the modelling therefore we are comparing apples for apples with these approaches. Clearly the work put down by Frontier and released this week which was dismissed before we even released it would you believe by the Government that work clearly demonstrates that there are better design features that can be incorporated into any sort of emissions trading scheme. The Government must listen and have an open mind to alternative suggestions to make sure that the biggest structural change in our history is not fatally flawed and don’t get unnecessary repercussions from a Bill which is not correctly designed.   

 

MARIUS BENSON:                     Were you disappointed that the alternative scheme that you put up this week got such a cool reception from business in particular they didn’t seem….

 

ANDREW ROBB:                       That’s not true I mean we have had endless calls for detailed briefings now that there is process in train for industry, all the industry groups to have a detailed briefing there is a lot of interest a lot of interest from business groups that Frontier have put on the table.

 

MARIUS BENSON:                     I’ll leave it there Andrew Robb thank you very much.

 

ANDREW ROBB:                        Good Marius see you mate, bye.