17-March-2009
Portfolio Media Releases, Workplace Relations, Emissions Trading Scheme
Anna Bligh has failed to stand up and protect jobs in Townsville. Thousands of local jobs will be lost in Townville alone if Mr Rudd’s emissions trading scheme is introduced.
Townsville’s three refineries – Xstrata’s copper refinery, BHP’s nickel refinery and the Sun Metals zinc refinery – will all be made uncompetitive if Mr Rudd’s emissions trading scheme is allowed to go ahead as planned next year.
Strong protests need to come from the Queensland State Government if over 4,000 Townsville jobs are not to be put in jeopardy.
Sadly, everyone knows Anna Bligh will not be able to stand up to Kevin Rudd. We haven’t heard a peep out of the Queensland Premier.
Lawrence Springborg has the strength to take on the Prime Minister and put the jobs of Queenslanders first.
“The Federal member for Herbert, Peter Lindsay, and the LNP members and candidates in Burdekin (Rosemary Menkens), Hinchinbrook (Andrew Cripps), Mundingburra (Colin Dwyer), Thuringowa (Tony Elms) and Townsville (Murray Hurst) have already raised with me their deep concerns about what will happen to local jobs if Kevin Rudd and Anna Bligh rush to introduce a new scheme ahead of the rest of the world, an emissions trading scheme which will impose millions of dollars of new taxes on major Townsville refineries.
“The scheme that the government has put forward is so badly designed that no one outside of the Government supports it.”
“The Government’s emissions trading scheme is deeply flawed – if implemented it would cost jobs, kill investment and not see any appreciable reduction in CO2 emissions,” said the Coalition’s spokesman on Emissions Trading Design, the Hon. Andrew Robb AO MP.
Media Contact: Stuart Eaton, 0433 298 620