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A Price on Emissions – PIA survey - A Price On Carbon
Recently, the Australian Government announced its carbon policy price package and released a draft clean energy legislation, consultation for which closed in August 2011. The objective of the package is to move Australia toward a clean economy and a safe climate. Features of the package include the investment in renewable energy, encouraging energy efficiency and creating opportunities to increase sustainability in the land sector. The key part of the plan involves placing a price on carbon emissions, which will begin in the form of a fixed tax on the emissions of ‘big’ polluters in Australia, starting on July 1, 2012. Under the current proposal, this will then evolve into a ‘cap and trade’ emissions trading scheme on July 1, 2015.
In June 2011 the Planning Institute of Australia surveyed the views of its members in respect to the Federal Government’s proposed carbon tax. This resulted in support for the Institute to make representations endorsing the introduction of a carbon tax. This position was in turn conveyed to the Australian Sustainability and Built Environment Council (ASBEC), which with its broad membership base was considered the best means for the voice of planners to be heard.
Out of the 288 respondents (261 members and 27 non-members), 74.3% answered ‘Yes” and 25.7% answered ‘No’. A handful of comments ranged in PIA strongly in support on a price on carbon, glad to see that PIA was showing leadership in this area, a great opportunity to support sustainable development policy, an incentive to change behaviours, and will help new arenas of work for planners and designers in the built environment. Less supportive comments ranged from reservations on the science to support action on climate change, that fiscal policy is not the answer to the preservation of the environment, the need for more global support, reduce emissions by a certain % not by a tax, a tax that will deliver no benefits to Australia and will create a serious disadvantage to its competiveness in world markets. A full compilation of comments can be accessed here.