Greg Combet
A notable absence of truth in the climate change debate has come from the Opposition’s Greg Hunt all year, and his latest misrepresentations are true to form.
No personal offence to Greg, but it does pay to do your homework occasionally. I have represented Australia at many of this year’s international climate change negotiations, so attending Doha on behalf of the Climate Change Minister is fairly logical and not so remarkable.
We understand your motives. You don’t have much to hang your hat on. First, let’s deal with the Opposition’s pretence – or is it ignorance? - that there is no international action.
Continue reading "Counterpunch: the world has left the Coalition behind" »
A notable absence from the climate change talks in Doha this week is Minister Greg Combet.
No personal offence to Mark Dreyfus, who as Parliamentary Secretary is standing in, but the absence of a Minister is a clear signal that despite the domestic rhetoric, the Government has low expectations of any outcome.
At a time when the Government is vehemently arguing that Australia is in line with the rest of the world with its carbon tax, the reality is quite different.
Continue reading "Where’s Greg? Combet nowhere on climate change" »
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Achmed says:
Plenty ranting about how bad the carbon “tax” is. Abbott needs to clearly articulate his carbon policy. And there are questions he needs to address, and I know that will upset his supporters who are quite happy to just vote on the basis of the one line rants “big bad… Read more »
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sunny says:
“Haven’t we been told that CO2 drives temperature?” Temperature increase is only one of the five resulting scenarios of CO2 increase. Ask my friend Lisa Meredith: increased CO2 leads to greater energy capture and retention which leads to one of a) greater air temperature, b) higher ocean temperature, c) melting… Read more »
OK, so not many people are in love with the carbon tax. But then who likes taxes? Find me a mug who enjoys paying income tax and I’ll show you proof of intelligent life on other planets. Ask your friends whether they now suddenly enjoy paying GST. And ring the men in white coats if they say yes.
Taxes are evil. But we learn to live with them. The question hanging over the carbon tax is whether the same sense of institutionalised submission will eventually apply to it.
This is the political conundrum for Abbott; a person who likes paying tax is as rare a creature as a government ready to repeal one and very few people believe that he will actually do as he says and dump it.
Continue reading "Abbott might be knocked out by carbon tax fatigue" »
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Richard says:
Well, I only listed those countries because they’re our most direct competitors, but if you want to be pedantic, then trees, you can add Uzbekistan to the list, well actually Kazakhstan moreso, as well as New Zealand, Russia, America, Mongolia, and some African countries as well. Read more »
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Richard says:
@james Yes, I’m serious. Answer the question: how can any Australian prefer a plan which sends tens of billions of our dollars overseas to scamsters (i.e. The Government’s) rather than the plan which will keep our money in our country, and reduce our own actual emissions to boot (the coalition’s… Read more »
So after months of tensions and simmering resentment, the ALP at the weekend indicated it needed some time apart to consider the future of its relationship with the Greens.
In a battle between its head and its heart, Labor’s head started calling the shots, finally admitting what outsiders have been able to see for ages, that entanglement with the Greens is not good for Labor. It’s an emotionally abusive relationship where the Greens have exerted more influence than should have been allowed.
But as divorces go, this one could turn out to be very messy. No dignified exit for this departing party. Labor is determined to air more dirty laundry than one of Charlie Sheen’s exes.
Continue reading "Forget TomKat; the split of the year might ALP-v-Greens" »
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Geoff says:
“When he doesn’t make a $70B black hole disappear - “LIE”!” You do realise that 70b black hole is a labor lie? Do you know where it came from? Turns out you know nothing of this courntry maybe its time for you to leave? Take your labor party with you… Read more »
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Geoff says:
Cobbler mate please please send me your car for me to work on for your next service because when I give it back to you with more problems and then way over charge you all I need to say is I am a labour supporter and you will be ooh… Read more »
Sophie Mirabella is copping it this morning because unlike Greg Combet (Clark Kent anybody?) she didn’t rush to the aid of Simon Sheikh when he collapsed next to her on the Q and A desk last night.
Visually it didn’t look great. As the Get Up! director slumped forward unconscious the Shadow Industry Minister appeared to recoil. It was certainly an odd moment. Climate Change Minister Combet, who was mid-sentence, expressed the confusion everyone would have felt when Sheikh (who is ok, thankfully) first connected head with desk. “I’m not quite sure what Simon’s doing there. Is he okay? I think… he’s not okay. Simon is not okay,” Combet said, before going to Sheikh’s aid.
Mirabella’s inaction was for a just a few short seconds, but from the reaction you would think the woman had poisoned the political activist’s glass of water.
Continue reading "Hands up if you always handle a crisis with panache" »
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Morgan says:
Ms Mirabella not only reacted badly (she didnt put up a reassuring hand on his shoulder, she was pushing him away from her!), she wouldn’t have reacted at all had Mr Sheikh not fallen directly ON HER! I agree with the poster who said Mr Combet truly demonstrated his cool-head… Read more »
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T says:
Watch out all of you folk with bad gramma and comprehension skills, NicoleG is on the prowl. Lucky we have such an amazing person to pull us all up on our comprehension skills. You must be an awesome speller too. Thank God you corrected Carlos, I really had no idea… Read more »
Greg Combet has more policy hounds on his tail than any other minister. He is in charge of the introduction of a “carbon tax”, and the arguments against him have been outnumbering those for.
So the Climate Change Minister went to the National Press Club to highlight—and he hoped erase—some of those policy problems which are dogging this attempt to get up a pricing mechanism for carbon pollution.
He all but ticked them off, one by one, in front of the audience.
Continue reading "Combet on carbon: What he said and what he meant" »
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Jason says:
Troll? Sorry but no. Im not someones political puppet either. The solar panels were free for my business as I purchased them through a government grant issued to help green the textile sector in this country. My panels have a 25 year waranty and I hate to be the one… Read more »
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bobw says:
MarK: “The point of the carbon tax is to cool the planet.” On the off chance that someone is still listening to ol’ limbless over there, I feel obliged to point out - again - that this is pure misrepresentation. Anyone who knows anything about the English language would know… Read more »
It’s easy to attack politicians.
No better evidence perhaps than the bitchy list we compiled yesterday of MPs we think disappointed or just disappeared. But we’re not just a bunch of naysayers here at The Punch. Indeed we appreciate politics and politicians are great deal, otherwise we wouldn’t bother writing about it.
So here’s a list, in no particular order, of MPs who have tried and triumphed in 2010.
Well it’s been one hell of an effort by Tony Abbott:
Continue reading "10 of the best performing MPs of the year" »
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jf says:
Not a bad list until I got to Shorten (please) and then Brown. One is a snide, sly bully with an ambition so strong that, if left unchecked, is sure to cause another 10 year + conservative reign. This man cares about no-one other than himself. As for Brown, so… Read more »
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jeffb says:
I’m not sure you understand what an agenda is MarK because what you just outlined is not even close to acceptable for any major political party in Australia. You list some of Abbott’s achievements, none of his plans for the future. I say again, the only person with a positive… Read more »
Twelve months ago today I released a video blog warning of the dangers of the Home Insulation Program.
Back then, Peter Garrett’s office had been denying a link between his program and house fires. Astonishing to believe, given the some 200 fires we have now. It was when there had been only one tragic loss of a young installer. Three more would follow.
But by then, the avalanche of problems of safety hazards, rorting and waste were being made very clear to my office. Which is why, 12 months ago, I warned in the video: “You also have a risk of fires … Pink batts on down-lights equal fires …you have the risk of electrocution for people who aren’t trained … There are risks of further tragedies.”
Continue reading "Looking back on 12 months of fatal inaction" »
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Trumpet says:
What a crock; Unions don’t give a stuff about workers except to ensure they pay their dues. Parasitic unions are the cause of more workplace issues than any employers- by simply making workplaces so uncompetitive that employers cannot afford the ridiculous measures demanded by Unions…..which we know will not stop… Read more »
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Lisa H. says:
No, actotrel, the government ENCOURAGED new players into the industry because the roll out needed to happen yesterday, remember? And in doing so, the government showed an incredible arrogance. What of the established players in the industry, normal people and families, that have invested their lives, homes, livelihoods in ithe… Read more »
Mark Dreyfus must have been a wonderful lawyer. The 54-year-old Victorian QC is now the Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency - the man who answers questions on the Federal Government’s bungling of its multi-billion dollar home insulation program.
At a press conference this morning journalists quizzing Mr Dreyfus over the latest scathing report into the $2.45 billion scheme were privileged to an impressive display of Mr Dreyfus’s lawyer skills, as we were delivered so many non-answers to questions.
Not only that, but journalists weren’t able to get their hands on a copy of the full report until 11am - the exact time Mr Dreyfus did his press conference.
Continue reading "Government still insulating itself from blame" »
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Aitch B says:
@acotrel Jeez, you’re really out of control on this one, mate! How is the Liberal Party protecting your so-called ‘criminal’ contractors?? It’s the governments (state/federal) who have the power to institute proceedings for workplace negligence and last time I looked, apart from WA the entire country is governed by the… Read more »
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Carl Palmer says:
When the rebate was $1600 I got 3 quotes (from reputable & recommended suppliers) and all came in at – you guessed it $1600. When it went to $1200 I got another 3 quotes (from reputable & recommended suppliers) and all came in at – you guessed it $1200. Even… Read more »
The Government’s new climate change committee has made a definitive decision after its first meeting: dump Julia Gillard’s proposed Citizens Assembly on climate change.
Think of it as a bureaucratic take on scissors, paper, rock: multi-party climate change committee beats citizens assembly everytime. So while the Gillard Government may have no climate change policy, it has managed to kill off the last one with the help of its brand new committee.
This is no surprise given the Citizens Assembly was a dog from day one and was treated as such by the media and the public. It was possibly the worst policy bungle of the Gillard’s in the entire election campaign (although the Indonesian judge awarded that honour to the East Timor solution).
Continue reading "The Assembly is dead. Long live the Committee" »
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Peter M says:
So in the Grand Conspiracy we have morally corrupt politicians, scientists and now “computer modelling”. Which of these is running which, and why? Plotting extends via the IFCC and the United Nations to thousands of climate scientists, hundreds of nations, and almost every single scientific association or organisation throughout the… Read more »
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Peter M says:
Don’t look now, but Gillard’s party didn’t get elected. What was elected was a government consisting of the ALP and some others of different persuasion. Didn’t you follow that bit? Abbott said Gillard didn’t have a mandate—so how can he turn around and whinge about broken promises? He doesn’t have… Read more »
Big retailers are scared, it was reported this morning, to say what they think about the checkout-counter effects of the Federal Government’s plan to help save the planet with its emissions trading scheme.
The supermarkets are worried they will enrage environmentally-conscious customers if they dare to so much as suggest there might be some unpleasant side-effects to the ETS.
In case you’ve missed it, The Australian reported retailers are worried the cost of groceries will go up, by about 5 per cent, under the Rudd Government’s plan.
Continue reading "Food for thought - will the ETS hit us at the checkout?" »
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James Flinders says:
In December, the New York Times recently ran an article claiming that “carbon will be the world’s biggest commodity market, and it could become the world’s biggest market overall. Currently valued at over $30 billion, the carbon trading market is set to skyrocket to over $1 trillion as the price… Read more »
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watto says:
Who believes big retailers for starters - they are taking us for a ride. (The average overweight Australian eating 5% less would be a good thing and save billions in health?) Noone complained when the GST took 10 billion plus, out of the economy and was used as a middle… Read more »
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