Beware the Trojan horse in Labor’s carbon claims
14-August-2010
Source: Warren Truss, MP –
Julia Gillard’s announcement that a re-elected Labor Government would set up a carbon credit trading scheme for farmers was a Trojan horse for the re-introduction of a great big new tax on everything, Leader of The Nationals Warren truss said today.
“What Ms Gillard has pointedly avoided talking about today are the plans of Labor and the Greens to put a price on carbon emissions,” Mr Truss said.
“There are two ways of doing that – an emissions trading scheme or a carbon tax – and both will impose enormous costs on Australian farmers that will not be imposed on their international competitors.
“Under Labor and the Greens, Australian farmers will be slugged with higher fuel costs, higher fertiliser costs and higher electricity costs.
“Food processors will be hit as well.
“That means higher grocery prices for all Australians.
“And by making our farmers less competitive than foreign farmers, Labor and the Greens will see more of our food imported.”
Mr Truss said The Nationals would not support Labor’s ETS and the only way to kill off the threat of its re-introduction or the introduction of a carbon tax was to vote for the Coalition next Saturday.
“If the Coalition is elected next Saturday, the threat of an ETS or carbon tax will be dead on Sunday,” Mr Truss said.
He said the reason farming was not included in Labor’s ETS in the first place was because measurements of emissions on-farm was not possible.
“Labor’s claim now – on the eve of the election – that it is suddenly possible smacks of deceit,” Mr Truss said.
“Any proffered benefits from farm scale carbon sequestration under Labor’s plan simply point to the fact that once it has farmers in the tent it will hit them for emissions down the track. Come in spinner.
Modelling by CIE has shown that Labor’s ETS would slash the farm cash income for an average beef farm by over 60% if agriculture’s emissions were included. And even if they were not included, the indirect cost of Labor’s ETS to dairy farmers would be between $6,000 and $9,000 per farm.
The Australian Food and Grocery Council forecast that food and grocery prices would rise by as much as 5%.
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