Govern with the Greens? But How to Make Coal Cleaner

Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard has dumped her election promise to deliver a citizens assembly to debate climate change and a carbon price, under a formal deal with the Greens to support a Labor government to set up a parliamentary committee with expert advice from outside. Meanwhile Labor’s promised emissions standards for new coal electricity generators would not cut greenhouse gas emissions from any of the 12 coal power plants proposed in Australia, an analysis by Greenpeace shows.

The Australian (1 September 2010):

JULIA Gillard has dumped her election promise to deliver a citizens assembly to debate climate change and a carbon price under today’s formal deal with the Greens to support a Labor government.

The lampooned policy, which was condemned by the Coalition and the Greens at the last election as nothing more than a talkfest, has been replaced by mutual agreement with the Greens by a parliamentary committee.

But no agreement has been reached on a timeframe for a carbon price, which the Greens and Labor agree is vital to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by 2020.

The Greens this morning struck a formal deal with Labor to govern but the fate of Australia’s next prime minister still lies with the independents.

“The Greens will ensure supply and oppose any motions of no-confidence in the government from other parties or MPs,” leader Bob Brown said at a media conference in Canberra a short time ago.

“Labor will work with the Greens to deliver improved transparency and integrity to parliament.”

The Greens-ALP deal includes the climate change committee to consider a price on carbon, immediate reform to political donations, a full parliamentary debate on Afghanistan, a leaders debate commission and agreement on a private members’ bill to debate above-the-line voting.

When parliament is sitting, the prime minister will meet Senator Brown and their lone lower house MP Adam Bandt each week, and fortnightly when not sitting.

The deal does not include a cabinet position for a Green. Senator Brown said this was because his was primarily a Senate-based party and “our job here is to form government as expeditiously as possible and that meant we had to be a little bit modest”.

And there is no agreement from Labor to set a carbon price, with The agreement also did not include a conscience vote on same-sex marriage because the parties could not agree.

Senator Brown denied the Greens had put that their carbon price demand on hold in order to ensure the trio of key country independents could reach an agreement with Labor to deliver goverment.

He said the proposed climate change committee would be ready to go by the end of the month, describing it as an amalgam of Greens and Labor policy.

Asked if the committee meant Julia Gillard’s much-derided citizens assembly on climate had been scrapped, Senator Brown said: “That’s a question for the Prime Minister.”

The Greens’ decision to back Labor effectively lifts the ALP’s numbers in the hung parliament from 72 to 73 seats – a dead heat with Coalition’s.

The Liberal and National tally of 73 seats includes WA National Tony Crook, who has indicated his intention to sit on the cross benches with the independents.

Senator Brown said he had spoken with Tony Abbott last night “and he said he would attack any agreement we are working on and I said that was his right”.

“We have made a decision here,” Senator Brown said.

The Greens leader said if Mr Abbott ultimately became prime minister he would hold talks with him to discuss how the new Senate would work.

Senator Brown said he hoped there was a Gillard government “by this time next week” because he did not think the Greens could work with Mr Abbott.

Senator Brown said the Greens had spoken to the three independents Bob Katter, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, who today revealed that their decision on which side of politics to support could take as long as until next Tuesday.

Julia Gillard, Wayne Swan, Greens leader Bob Brown, deputy Christine Milne and lower house MP Adam Bandt met this morning to formally sign off on the agreement.

Source: www.theaustralian.com.au

Tom Arup, Environment correspondent, Sydney Morning Herald (31 August 2010):

LABOR’S promised emissions standards for new coal electricity generators would not cut greenhouse gas emissions from any of the 12 coal power plants proposed in Australia, an analysis of the carbon profiles of each project shows.

During the election campaign, Labor promised to impose new mandatory standards, with a starting point of 0.86 tonnes of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour, on all new coal plants.

The promise would also require new coal plants to be carbon capture and storage ”ready”. But the standards – which would start next year – would not apply to projects that have already had regulatory approval.

The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has repeatedly said the standards would ensure ”no more dirty coal-fired power stations” in Australia.

But an analysis by Greenpeace shows that none of the 12 proposed coal plants would be forced into a redesign or be shelved due to the standards.

The figures show just three of the proposed plants would emit more carbon per megawatt hour of electricity generated than would be allowed under Labor’s promised standards.

The proposed Bluewaters 3 and Bluewaters 4 coal plants in Western Australia both have emissions intensity rates of 0.92, and the proposed Coolimba plant in WA will have a rate of 0.9 to 1.0. All three have state government approval and would be exempt from federal Labor’s standards.

The emissions intensity for a new coal generator in South Australia – Altona Energy’s Arckaringa plant, which is in an early stage of development – remains unknown. Calls to Altona Energy’s Australian office went unanswered yesterday.

A proposed brown coal plant in Victoria with emissions standards of between 0.78 and 0.87 was recently withdrawn for redesign to meet a tougher 0.8 standard set by the Victorian government as part of its climate change white paper.

The other seven new plants all have estimated emissions intensity rates below Labor’s 0.86 standard. The lowest is the 0.18 at the Wandoan carbon capture project in Queensland.

Source: www.smh.com.au