NORTHERN AUSTRALIA SCEPTICAL OF LABOR’S LATEST CLIMATE POLICY

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Julia Gillard’s climate change policy, announced this morning, has been met with scepticism in Northern Australia.

Federal Opposition Spokesman on Northern and Remote Australia Senator Ian Macdonald said that Ms Gillard’s “Climate Change Commission” and “Citizen’s Assembly” will be just another spin creation.

“Will the Climate Change Commission include experts like James Cook University Professor of Geology Bob Carter or will it just be the flunkies who always agree with Ms Gillard’s policy of the day.

“And how many Northern Australians from mining towns will be included in the ‘Citizen’s Assembly’?

“I can easily predict that the Citizen’s Assembly will contain a large proportion of radical greenies and members of the Greens political party as their pay off for directing preferences to Labor in the Senate and in selected marginal seats.

“The Labor Party’s previous incarnation of a climate change policy, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, would have devastated many towns in Northern Australia dependent upon the mining industries for their very existence.

“Tens of thousands of jobs depend upon the mining industry and the Labor Party’s policy would have slashed jobs and destroyed small business in communities like Mackay, Gladstone, Townsville, Mount Isa, Port Headland and Karratha.

“Ms Gillard’s policy will again be all about chasing Green’s preferences, regardless of the huge cost of living increases to other Australians, and the devastating loss of jobs and small business in the communities in Northern Australia who support Australia’s mining industries.”

Ms Gillard would have been far better advised to adopt Tony Abbott’s real action climate agenda which will reduce emissions by 5% by 2020.

END

23 July 2010

Media contact Gordon Terry      (07) 4771 3066   or   0427 960 255                                           

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