BATTLELINES have been drawn for the next election, with Tony Abbott's "blood" vow to abolish the carbon tax ensuring its historic passage through the House of Representatives yesterday will not end the brawl over Labor's clean energy plans.
As the government's 18 bills were passed early yesterday, paving the way for the introduction of a price on carbon from July 1 next year, Julia Gillard accused Mr Abbott of being "marooned by the tide of history". Wayne Swan declared Labor would continue to support the carbon tax regardless of the result of the next election, describing the package as "Labor to its bootstraps".
But Mr Abbott said he was giving "the most definite commitment any politician can give that this tax will go". "This is a pledge in blood," he told ABC radio. "This tax will go. We can get rid of it. We will get rid of it. We must get rid of it and let's never forget, no parliament can bind its successor."
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Greens leader Bob Brown hailed the passage of the bills as the beginning of the "greening of Australia" and vowed to block in the Senate any Coalition move to repeal the carbon tax under an Abbott government.
The 18 bills that will impose a fixed carbon price of $23 a tonne from July 1 next year, converting to an emissions trading scheme in 2015, passed the House of Representatives shortly after 9.30am. Greens MP Adam Bandt and independents Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Andrew Wilkie joined with Labor to give Ms Gillard a 74-72 victory. The $300 million steel transformation plan also passed 75-71 after independent Bob Katter joined Labor to support the measure.
After the carbon tax passed, Ms Gillard hugged and kissed ministers - including Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, who has been the subject of leadership comeback speculation - after the vote was finalised to applause from the public gallery. Later, during question time, protesters shouting "No mandate, democracy is dead" repeatedly disrupted proceedings as Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott clashed over the carbon tax.
The Prime Minister said the carbon tax bills would cut taxes for workers earning less than $80,000, increase the tax-free threshold so that one million people were not in the tax system, and increase family payments and pensions. "Who is the threat to all of this . . . it is the Leader of the Opposition," Ms Gillard said.
Mr Abbott said the nation had been betrayed "with a kiss".
The passage of the bills through the lower house assures them of becoming law as Labor and the Greens have the numbers to pass them in the Senate.
Yesterday's vote came after Mr Rudd's carbon pollution reduction scheme was twice rejected by the Senate in 2009 after failing to win the Greens' support.
The Treasurer and Climate Change Minister Greg Combet yesterday confirmed Reserve Bank board member Jillian Broadbent would chair an expert panel to advise on the design of the $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation, which will provide finance to facilitate renewable energy, energy efficiency schemes and low-emissions technologies. Funds manager David Paradise and banker Ian Moore were also appointed to the panel.
The government also announced Michael Vertigan would chair the Energy Security Council to advise on measures to ensure energy supply security during the carbon tax transition.
Mr Combet, who described the carbon price as the "fundamental reform that drives the changes towards investment in clean energy and drives the emissions reductions in our economy", said he would begin talks about linking Australia's carbon market to those of other countries when he attends the UN climate convention in Durban in late November.
Environmentalists welcomed the lower house passage of the bills, which were introduced into the Senate and are now scheduled for debate in the week beginning October 31. They are expected to be passed by November 10, but could be delayed until November 21 if amendments are required.
Business continued to attack the plan. Business Council of Australia president Graham Bradley said business groups were not arguing about whether a carbon price should be introduced, but what the starting point should be.
Australian Coal Association chairman John Pegler said the impact of the carbon tax would be felt throughout the economy and the coal industry. Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Mitch Hooke said the parliament had voted "to reduce Australia's standard of living, undermine the competitiveness of export and import-competing businesses and cut domestic jobs growth for no climate change gain".
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson said it was not too late to block the bills.
Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Don Henry proclaimed the vote as "historic for the millions of Australians who, in the face of well-funded scare campaigns, have tirelessly urged successive Australian governments to take action on climate change".
Climate Institute chief executive John Connor also welcomed the passage of the bills, saying it created the potential for a cleaner, more competitive economy and more credible co-operation on actions to tackle climate change.
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