Garnaut review is 'one input' for carbon tax

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet says the review by Ross Garnaut is not the sole factor in deciding a price of carbon and its related handouts.

professor_garnaut_climate_170311_B_AAP_1699303307
Climate Change Minister Greg Combet says the review from Labor climate change adviser Ross Garnaut is not the sole factor in deciding a price of carbon and its related handouts.

Professor Garnaut released his final update to his 2008 climate change review on Tuesday.

Mr Combet said Professor Garnaut's suggestion of setting funds from the carbon tax aside for innovation was important.

GARNAUT'S VIEW

But the review's proposed breakdown of the proceeds from the carbon tax - 10 per cent for innovation, 55 per cent for households and 35 per cent for industry was Professor Garnaut's point of view, not the government's, Mr Combet said.

A carbon price of $26 a tonne would raise about $11.5 billion in 2012/13.

"What Professor Garnaut is referring to there is support there for business in their effort to drive innovation through research and development of low emission technologies and the like," he told ABC television on Tuesday.

"...There seems to be a lot of competing demands from all sectors of the economy for some share of the carbon price revenue and we are all taking that into account.

"But I would not rely on Professor Garnaut's percentages or divisions of the revenue."

Mr Combet said there were three key areas related to a carbon price within the Australian economy.

"Assisting households to meet any price impact and the government has indicated that at least half the revenue would be used for that purpose," he said.

"We are extremely concerned to support the trade exposed and emission intensive parts of the economy with a package that would support jobs and competitiveness.

"We have got to make sure we have got energy security and transformation in the energy sector to support innovation, in particular, so that we can head to a clean energy future."

PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

Mr Combet said important inputs into the development of a carbon price framework for the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee (MPCCC) had been delivered or would be soon.

"Professor Garnaut's report is a comprehensive work," he said.

"Yes, today the government has received the productivity commission report, although I haven't had a chance to have a look at it.

"Also, in the not-to-distant future we expecting the treasury modelling as well."

The minister said he would prod one of the independent MPs on the MPCCC, Rob Oakeshott, to stick to the government's timeframe of announcing the carbon package details this July.

Mr Oakeshott said on Monday that timetable was "incredibly ambitious".

"I'll be edging him along," Mr Combet said.

"...The government is keen to bring that to a conclusion and an agreed conclusion in the foreseeable future."


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world