The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday that the Australian Labor Party has drafted new plans to introduce a carbon tax, set to be discussed ahead of the ALP’s National Conference in Melbourne at the end of July.
The document includes an “Electricity Transformation Plan” to phase out coal for renewable energy, emissions standards for cars and energy efficiency targets.
Responding to the report, Shadow Environment Minister Mark Butler described the reports as “misleading”, noting that the document was a briefing to inform discussion, rather than formal policy. The document has not yet been presented to shadow cabinet and remains in the policy development process.
The ALP has this morning re-confirmed that it will take a new emissions trading scheme to the next election, as announced in July 2014.
The details of the ALP Briefing Paper:
- An Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is proposed to be implemented in the first term of any ALP government, to be introduced in stages that impose emissions caps on the electricity sector along with Australia’s largest emitters.