Electricity Bill …

Ms Gillard promised she would not introduce it.

She and Mr Swan heaped scorn on the then opposition for the suggestion that Labor would introduce it.

The nation saw Labor as liars when they did introduce it.

Energy prices and business costs have gone up because of it.

An optimistic forecast of its effect … restraining the increase in world temperature by 0.0034°C by 2100.

Prior to the last election Labor promised to abolish it.

The electorate certainly gave the Coalition Government the mandate to abolish it.

Today Labor joined with the Green to frustrate its removal.

It may be detrimental to the economy, useless for the environment but anything that hampers Australia’s recovery is good news for Labor because it reflects on Abbott.

 

Carbon tax …

The carbon tax, that Julia and Wayne promised we would not have, is designed to increase the cost of energy.

I played the Inverloch jazz festival again this year, in the past it has had problems with flood, this year it happened to coincide with a heatwave. One of the venues is a council hall. To avoid the carbon tax the council would not turn on the air conditioning. The result was that the audience fled to the one hall that they could sit in without melting whilst some great musicians played to an almost empty house.

The availability of affordable energy is almost the measure of a civilisation. In hot places like Australia or in cold places like the UK people on low incomes are being forced to make a choice between keeping their houses at a comfortable temperature and putting food on their tables.

But the most ridiculous side effect of this ridiculous tax, ridiculous because it will have no impact on the world’s climate, is the burden placed on hospitals.

VICTORIA’S cash-strapped hospitals have been hit with an extra $6.7 million in energy costs due to the carbon tax in just six months, new data reveals. State government analysis of hospital bills shows carbon charges made up on average 15 per cent of hospital energy bills. Herald Sun.

How incredibly stupid …

People said …

Brendon O’connor, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Feb 24 on Ten Networks “Meet The Press” …

People said we weren’t going to price carbon and bring in a very important market-based approach to reducing carbon emissions; it was done.

Quite so. For example Mr Swan on Meet The Press, August 15, 2010, said …

What we rejected is this hysterical allegation that somehow we are moving towards a carbon tax …

and on August 15, 2010 …

No, it’s not possible that we’re bringing in the carbon tax. That is a hysterically inaccurate claim being made by the Coalition.

And Julia promised on Channel 10, August 16, 2010 …

There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead.

Yes, Mr O’Connor some lying bastards did indeed say “we weren’t going to price carbon”.