One of John Howard’s key policies for the 2007 election was the introduction of a carbon tax, which was reconfirmed in an interview again closer to the election.  

Tony Abbott is on record saying that the best way to curb carbon emissions was to “put a tax on it”. 

Australia’s premier journalist, Laurie Oakes, said in an article in the Herald Sun on March 25, 2012: “Let’s not beat about the bush, Tony Abbott tells lies.” 

So there we have it – could anything else be any clearer?

This government is going to penalise the big polluters, exactly the way it should be, with compensation being afforded to households and other recipients, not plundering taxpayers and handing bars of gold bullion to polluters.

Yes Mr Wiseman, in July this year Joe Hockey was forced to deny that there was a rift within the Coalition regarding the raising of the GST. 

As for the mining tax, the majority of Australians are in favour of it – 63 per cent in fact.  

Sixty-six per cent are also in favour of the NBN, another target of this opportunistic opposition.

Mr Wiseman, our country has suffered a global financial crisis –the worst since the great depression – catastrophic floods and cyclones in Queensland, a meltdown in Europe and the US that shows no sign of abating, all in the past five years.   

Your insinuation that our government should have done nothing to protect our financial system, security, businesses and employment is an insult to anybody’s intelligence. 

After experiencing a crippling multibillion-dollar loss of income in commodity prices, and attempting to reign in the reckless spending of the Howard government, (confirmed by Janet Albrechtsen on Q&A on November 26), all you and Abbott can do is criticise. 

According to you, our economy is so bad that everybody around the world is pouring billions of dollars into our country for the hell of it, escalating our dollar’s value to the highest levels ever seen. Currently it is at $1.05 US. 

In 2008 it was 65 cents US. Are they all deluded as well? Has this Australian government procured their AAA credit rating out of a Wheaties box?

The latest polling on the carbon tax is as follows: 46 per cent in favour, 44 per cent against.  So in 150 days, despite the best efforts of Abbott, the opposition against it has collapsed. 

Tony Abbott’s popularity is 33 per cent – bordering on oblivion – 13 per cent less than the carbon-tax rating and, incidentally, 13 per cent inferior to that of the prime minister, who has had everything but the kitchen sink thrown at her, defending herself. Mr Abbott and his minders have come up with several strategies to improve his popularity and all failed miserably. 

The latest – hiding behind a woman in question time and saying nothing. Fit to lead our country, not likely, and 67 per cent of Australians agree.

Ken Price,

?Eaglehawk