Abbott would not scrap carbon tax if he was PM: Gillard

26/06/2012 - Prime Minister Julia Gillard says the opposition's claims Labor's carbon pricing regime will cause significant damage to the Australian economy are untrue.

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The federal government's fixed price of $23 a tonne on carbon emissions will begin on July 1 before shifting to a market based system in 2015.

Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott has regularly stated the carbon tax would hurt the Australian economy, cause businesses to close down and result in job losses.

"None of those claims to try to induce fear in the Australian community are true, have ever been true or will ever be true," Gillard told ABC Television on Monday.

"They are all just puffed false claims for political campaigning purposed by the leader of the opposition."

Gillard also said she did not believe Abbott would scrap carbon pricing if he became prime minister.

Abbott has said the first act of a coalition government would be to enact legislation to repeal the carbon tax and if this was not successful, he would call a double dissolution election.

"We will see a little fiddle here, a little fudge there but he won't take away carbon pricing," Gillard said.

"He has been on the record in the past supporting carbon pricing as has his whole political party under the leadership of prime minister John Howard."

The government said 294 firms would pay the carbon tax, with steelmakers, miners and electricity generators among the top emitters.

Source: AAP

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Have your say...

Toscamaster | 26/06/2012 10:59 1

When will The Prime Minister and Mr Abbott wake up to the fact that while people are concerned about the carbon (di-oxide) costs they will have to bear, nothing will hold back the fury they will wreak on whichever of these two leaders is last to tell the truth about the corruption of climate science. It is a crock and furthermore they know it is. The presentation to a Senior Liberal Party representative on 27 April proved that climate science has been corrupted and was enthusiastically accepted. Any tax or policy that is based on invalid science is in turn invalid. Aussies hate politicians who lie to them. Roll on the election.

alan | 26/06/2012 11:00 2

Julia, you and Wayne Swan lied to the voters, time and time again end of story

Toscamaster | 26/06/2012 11:01 3

When will The Prime Minister and Mr Abbott wake up to the fact that while people are concerned about the carbon (di-oxide) costs they will have to bear, nothing will hold back the fury they will wreak on whichever of these two leaders is last to tell the truth about the corruption of climate science. It is a crock and furthermore they know it is. The presentation to a Senior Liberal Party representative on 27 April 2011 proved that climate science has been corrupted and was enthusiastically accepted. Any tax or policy that is based on invalid science is in turn invalid. Aussies hate politicians who lie to them. Roll on the election.

Kermit | 26/06/2012 11:34 4

The smart money says, "the CARBON TAX will remain under a Liberal Government"....rarely do we see a mouth watering "tax opportunity" like this reversed! However, a "real smart politician" would be suggesting reducing the tax to $10/tonne for 5 years to reduce the impact on the price of power across the country. This will allow business and industry to prepare for a lower carbon economy...My money suggests this vacant rhetoric is a smoke screen by the Libs too! Let's see some good sound policy, so we know who is telling the biggest "pork pies"? Here's a great opportunity to show some leadership....

Alfred A Arnold M/Director ACI pty ltd | 26/06/2012 12:56 5

More Labor lies and propaganda, I cannot under any circumstance see any party Liberal or National breaking their promise to remove it, it would not give its self the branding Labor currently holds as an illiterate bunch of so and so`s`s.How many lies and failed promises since taking office and that was also won with a bunch of lies to the Australian people,While on that track, please get two pieces of paper and a pencil and list how many programs and successes on one page and failures on the other. I bet you one page is left blank.

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