Turnbull blasts coalition's climate plan

8 Feb 2010, 2:59 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull has savaged the coalition's direct action plan to combat climate change as a "recipe for fiscal recklessness".

Former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull has savaged the coalition's direct action plan to combat climate change as a "recipe for fiscal recklessness".

Giving his first parliamentary speech since losing the Liberal leadership in December, Mr Turnbull indicated he would cross the floor to vote with Labor when a vote was taken on the carbon pollution reduction scheme.

Mr Turnbull was scathing of the coalition's new direct-action policy which aims to provide financial incentives to industry for reducing carbon emissions.

"We all know ... that industry and businesses attended by an army of lobbyists are particularly persuasive and all too effective at getting their sticky fingers into the taxpayer's pocket," he told parliament on Monday.

"Having the government pick projects for subsidy is a recipe for fiscal recklessness on a grand scale.

"And there will always be a temptation for projects to be selected for their political appeal."

A handful of Liberal MPs, including treasury spokesman Joe Hockey, were present in the chamber during Mr Turnbull's speech.

The government allowed Mr Turnbull an additional 10 minutes to complete his speech as other MPs, including climate change sceptic Wilson Tuckey, wandered into the lower house ahead of a maiden speech by first-time MP Kelly O'Dwyer.

Mr Turnbull said his strong and longstanding personal commitment to an emissions trading scheme prevented him from voting against the government legislation.

Last year, Mr Turnbull committed the Liberals to supporting the legislation before he was dumped in favour of Tony Abbott, who has since released an alternative climate change policy.

On Monday, he urged Australia to have a climate change strategy in place before the next global talks in Mexico later this year.

"Prudence demands that we act to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and do so in a way that is consistent with, and promotes global action to do the same," he said.

"All of here are accountable, not just to our constituents, but to the generations that will come after them and after us," he said, adding it was parliament's job to legislate for the nation's long-term future.

It was positive that both sides of parliament had agreed to at least a five per cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, Mr Turnbull said.

"But it is not enough to say that you support these cuts, you must also deliver a strong, credible policy framework that will deliver them."

Without a strong climate change policy, Australia could not expect other countries, such as China and India, to heed the call to tackle global warming, he said.

Mr Turnbull said his arguments in favour of the ETS now were "no different to those I have made and stood for, for the last three years".

Schemes, like that proposed by Mr Abbott, which would give millions of taxpayers' dollars to selected new technologies, were "neither economically efficient nor environmentally effective" compared to a market-based approach, he said.

Later, Labor backbencher Kelvin Thomson congratulated Mr Turnbull in parliament on his "courageous" speech.

The latest Nielsen poll shows voters prefer the coalition's plan over the government's emissions trading scheme.

The data, published in Fairfax newspapers on Monday, showed 45 per cent of those surveyed liked Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's direct action approach, compared with 39 per cent who favoured Labor's carbon pollution reduction scheme.

Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce says the Australian people have turned against an emissions trading scheme but the government is refusing to change its plan.

"They insist on going out to the people and saying 'we know better than you'," he told Sky News.

The Rudd government maintains almost all families will be compensated under its emissions trading scheme.

The opposition has gone on the attack, questioning whether a couple earning about $140,000 a year and with three children under 12 will be left worse off.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the government's own figures showed this family would be $620 out of pocket.

But Prime Minister Kevin Rudd reiterated the scheme came with a comprehensive compensation package.

Treasury had calculated the average cost of living would increase by 1.1 per cent in the first two years of the scheme, which equated to $12 a week, or $624 per year.

The average family would receive compensation of $12.70 a week, or $660 a year, Mr Rudd told parliament on Monday.

Compensation varied on the family set-up and incomes, but full details were available on the government's website, he said.

Later, Liberal frontbencher Kevin Andrews tried again, asking the government to confirm if a maritime worker earning more than $125,000, his stay-at-home wife and their two children would be out of pocket $950 under emissions trading.

"Families come in all shapes and sizes," Families Minister Jenny Macklin responded.

"The government is certainly seeking to use a wide range of mechanisms to provide support."

That was unlike the coalition, which had no intention at all of providing assistance to families, she said.

The government's legislation, which has been introduced to parliament three times, is expected to be voted on in the lower house in coming days.

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