Carr's greenhouse plan - a poisoned chalice?

Friday, 08 June 2001 10:00

The COAG discussion today on energy policy has all the hallmarks of a back door attempt to weaken NSW's leading greenhouse policies and robbing the state of many new jobs, they said.

"Bob Carr promised in writing that the state's greenhouse benchmarks would not be weakened by national arrangements, and he would improve them, including their legal enforceability. His current scheme will break that promise unless he quickly takes action at a state level. This is a very serious matter - his plan does not improve the NSW position, it is a recipe for inaction on penalties in NSW and fails to upgrade the benchmark that expires in 2000/2001 in NSW," said Jeff Angel, Director of Total Environment Centre.

"Bob Carr's oft stated concern about greenhouse pollution and climate change will become a joke if he cannot deliver on state policies. The voluntary code in NSW has not delivered results, with the electricity industry comprehensively failing to meet the benchmarks since they were put in place. Is the Premier going to allow his environmental reputation to be wrecked by electricity companies the Government owns?"

"No doubt there is pressure from the NSW Treasury who are incapable of grasping the enormous economic benefits to NSW from enforceable benchmarks. When the greenhouse benchmarks are made mandatory in NSW there will be investment in new energy sources with many thousands of jobs created," said Kathy Ridge, Executive Officer of the Nature Conservation Council.

"National action is important but this does not mean that NSW should slacken on its policies and election promises. The Premier should not trade action in NSW for rhetoric at a national level. NSW should remain as the leading state and make its greenhouse benchmarks enforceable regardless of the COAG results today," she said.