Lucky last – Turnbull’s last stand

Politics might move slowly and people are inclined to change their spots and allegiances when its suits. But now there’s Malcolm Turnbull agreeing to serve – as Communications spokesman – with the man as leader who pushed him aside a matter of months ago, all over the Carbon Polluton Reduction Scheme.

But while politics might take its time to get its act together – even to form a Government but also to fix and adopt a climate change policy – now we’re seeing some very senior business leaders saying they to think it’s time to fix a price on carbon.

Where does this put Malcolm Turnbull? Considering he’s the man who as John Howard’s Environment Minister in 2007, actually set in motion the policies and procedures for an emissions trading scheme. He actually sticking to his guns and still says “market-based mechanisms are the most efficient ways of cutting emissions”. Read more

Tom Arup environment correspondent for Sydney Morning Herald (16 September 2010):

FRESH from his return to shadow cabinet, Malcolm Turnbull has restated his doubts about the Coalition’s climate-change policy and his support for an emissions trading scheme.

Speaking on radio yesterday, Mr Turnbull said the Coalition’s $10 billion direct action climate change policy was ”not ideal” and ”there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge in terms of this debate”.

But he said the Coalition policy was in ”stark contrast” to Labor, which he said had no climate change plan of substance.

”Everybody knows I’d prefer a market-based mechanism,” he said. ”I’m not going to flag now what I’ll be saying in shadow cabinet, but my views on climate change, the need for a carbon price, the fact that market-based mechanisms are the most efficient ways of cutting emissions – my views are the same today as they were when I was part of John Howard’s cabinet and those views were held by the Howard government.”

The Coalition’s current policy rejects a price on carbon. Instead it will create a fund to pay farmers to store carbon in soil, finance measures to reduce emissions from power plants, and plant more trees.

The government has shelved plans for an emissions trading scheme, promising to review the decision in 2012.

The Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet, said yesterday: ”Mr Turnbull has a longstanding history of respect for climate science.

”The government would welcome the Coalition’s participation on the climate change committee that will be considering the way in which to take action on climate change, and I call upon Tony Abbott to play a constructive role in the national interest.”

Mr Combet and the Greens deputy leader, Christine Milne, will meet to discuss the make-up of the cross-party climate change committee, which was agreed between Labor and the Greens as part of a deal that helped Labor form its minority government.

Mr Abbott has so far ruled out allowing members of the Coalition to sit on the committee, which will be established by the end of the month.

Yesterday the independent MP Tony Windsor, who nominated climate change as one of his main reasons for backing Labor to form minority government last week, said he would also be interested in sitting on the climate change committee, but he would not ”die in a ditch over it”.

Source: www.smh.com.au