Labor hints at parliament recall for ETS
The Federal Government is hinting it may recall parliament to consider its plan to dump the carbon tax and replace it with an emissions trading scheme.
Climate Change Minister Mark Butler says legislation will be drafted before the yet-to-be-announced election.
“In the event that parliament were to resume before the election, I could take draft legislation to the parliament,” he told ABC Television on Wednesday.
If either house rejected the legislation, Labor would take it to the election and seek a mandate from the people, he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is confident parliament will support the government’s plan.
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“Of course, we would get it through,” he told Sky News.
“For (Opposition Leader Tony Abbott) to stand in the way of a $380 improvement in living standards for the average family would be an extraordinary position.”
Both he and cabinet colleague Penny Wong fired shots at the Australian Greens, who hold the balance of power in the Senate.
Albanese dared “this mob” to reject legislation, while Senator Wong recalled a decision by the Greens to vote down Labor’s plan for an emissions trading scheme in 2009.
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“The Greens have got to start being held responsible for their destructive impact on climate policy over these last years,” Wong said.
The government plans to scrap the carbon tax and fast track a shift to an emissions trading scheme from July 2014.
A $3.8 billion hole carved in the budget will be plugged by a raft of cutbacks, including a tighter fringe benefits tax (FBT) on company-provided vehicles.
While the government describes the package of changes as “sensible (and) moderate”, the move has been criticised by the opposition and auto industry.
Opposition climate action spokesman Greg Hunt said the FBT measure was aimed squarely at middle-income earners.
“There are at least 320,000 people that are likely to be affected and (it) could include small businesses,” he told ABC Radio.
The Coalition plans to meet with auto industry representatives on Wednesday.
Albanese said a lot of people were “fiddling the system”.
“Those people who are salary sacrificing (and) who use their car less than 20 per cent, but claim the 20 per cent offset … the chances are it’s not a Holden Commodore, it’s a BMW,” he said.
The parliament adjourned on June 28 and is scheduled to return on August 20, pending a decision about an election date.
