By MALCOLM FARR National Political Editor
Canberra’s newest bromance. Source: News Corp Australia
Last November the coal mining MP and refinery investor announced he would abstain from voting on repeal of the carbon price because of a conflict of interest with his many mining assets – But he didn’t really believe in global warming anyway.
In April Mr Palmer said any temperature rise was merely “part of the natural cycle”.
Since yesterday Mr Palmer, using the unlikely and almost inert prop of former US Vice-President Al Gore, is posing as a global warming warrior determined to protect investment in renewable energy investment.
Clive Palmer arrives at Parliament House, Canberra, this morning ahead of his breakfast meeting with PM Tony Abbott.
However, at the same time he is backing a legislative program which would essentially result in all anti-carbon emission measures being dumped. Mr Palmer wants the four senators he effectively will control from next week to vote against a carbon price, and against the Government’s alternative of Direct Action.
No talk of conflict of interest by Mr Palmer these days.
Mr Palmer claims he wants to remove the fixed carbon price — the so-called carbon tax — and move to an Emissions Trading Scheme with a price that floats on the international market.
However, Australia would not adopt this ETS until a vaguely defined quorum of trading partners first implemented their own.
The notion that the US, China, Europe, Japan and Korea would engage in policy mimicry any time in the future is feeble.
The Government would just keep the ETS option in the back pocket until this unlikely conjunction of international measures occurs.
So what’s left of the Palmer program?
Stuck in the middle: Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Pic by Kym Smith
He wants it legislated that electricity sellers must reduce prices to the full extent of savings generated by the removal of the carbon price. Which is what Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said he wants for the past 18 months.
So draping himself in green motives, standing next to a man whose life is dedicated to reducing harmful emissions around the world, Clive Palmer has pretended to be worried about global warming.
At the same time he has moved to tear up existing defences against that warming. And his new best friend, Tony Abbott, will know that.
To slightly rewrite the words of Johnny Rotten, “Ever get the feeling you’ve been swindled?”
source: theaustralian.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 