Australia Repeals Divisive Carbon Tax

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2014-07-17

Australia has repealed a divisive carbon tax, delivering the government a key victory but frustrating opposition leaders who say the move is a step back in the global fight against climate change.

Conservative lawmakers burst into cheers as the Australian senate on Thursday voted 39 to 32 to scrap the tax, which forced Australia's biggest polluters to pay a hefty fine for each ton of carbon dioxide they emitted.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott rose to power on promises to abolish the tax, which he said was ineffective and cost households hundreds of dollars each year in more expensive utility bills.

"You voted to scrap the tax in September last year and the parliament finally listened. The tax that you voted to get rid of is finally gone. A useless, destructive tax which damaged jobs, which hurt families' cost of living and which didn't actually help the environment, is finally gone," said Abbott.

The opposition Labor and Greens parties slammed the move, saying Australia was going against global action on fighting climate change.

Labor leader Bill Shorten said Abbott had "embarrassed Australians."

"History will judge Tony Abbott very harshly for refusing to believe in genuine action on climate change. Tony Abbott is sleepwalking Australia to an environmental and economic disaster," said Shorten.

Greens leader Christine Milne called it a "monumental blunder for the nation under a climate-denying prime minister," and said Australia could become an international "pariah."

It is unclear now how Australia will meet its target of reducing overall emissions by 5 percent, compared to 2000 levels, by 2020.

Abbott, who was once a climate change skeptic, favors a plan that would pay Australia's biggest emitters to cut carbon levels. But some independent groups have said the plan will actually lead to a 12 percent increase in carbon emissions.

Australia's reliance on coal for electricity and its mining exports make it one of the world's worst polluters per capita.

Source: Voice of America

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