Letter published in the Australian
9 March 2011
Greg Sheridan suggests that within the Labor Party doubts exists about the capability of the government to devise a policy and explain it to interested groups and the electorate generally (Commentary, March 10). That certainly seems the case with climate change policy, where even ministers are acknowledging a failure to explain how the proposed carbon tax system would work.
Comparisons with implementation of the GST are scarcely relevant as that involved an adaptation of the existing inefficient indirect tax system whereas the proposed carbon tax is a new beast that can only reduce economic efficiency.
The answer to the climate change conundrum must surely be to commission an independent inquiry. This could be charged with publishing “the missing facts” and setting out in language understandable to the public why Australians need to be punished by leading the way in reducing emissions.
Des Moore,
South Yarra, Vic