If people were asked if we should endeavour to protect our environment and the planet for future generations by reducing dangerous levels of carbon emissions, I am sure most people would answer positively. 

The choice then lies between penalising the major polluters causing this problem, OR paying these same polluters out of tax payers money as an incentive to “change their habits.”

Governments of all persuasions have realised if the continued abuse of the environment remains unabated, dire consequences for future generations is assured. 

The fact of the matter is this, if Tony Abbott doesn’t believe in climate change, why is he going to plunder the tax payer of up to $30 billion dollars to PAY the big polluters and others, resulting in an extra cost to families of $1300 per year?

Talk about striking gold without having to dig for it. Under former prime minister John Howard, of which Tony Abbott was a cabinet minister, putting a tax on carbon pollution was Liberal Party policy. 

Mr Abbott also said, which is on public record, that the best way to control carbon pollution was to put a tax on it. So there we have it, another backflip. 

As humans, we place our trust without hesitation in the experts in the health field to safe guard our lives, but when it comes to believing people in the scientific world, in particular the area of climate change, it appears that most deniers choose to believe that well-known sceptic Lord Monckton, to the exclusion of the majority of eminent, and very experienced scientists in this field who advise us otherwise. 

Simply, we choose to not accept the majority opinions on the planet’s future welfare. Is this because most of us believe we are on the highway to heaven and wont be around to see the carnage? 

Thankfully, this is not the attitude of modern day young Australians. At the moment, both political parties have exactly the SAME carbon emissions reduction target of 5 per cent by the year 2020, but only one appears to have a serious approach to the problem, and this is where the similarities end. 

The government policy of penalising the biggest 294 polluters to improve their practices with the proceeds going to households, in the form of compensation, personal tax cuts, infrastructure spending, and superannuation assistance. 

The opposition is going to plunder the tax payer up to $30 billion dollars with no compensation, and have also made the extraordinary claim that penalising these polluters is a simple case of wealth redistribution, and we will all be rolling in money. 

What absolute rubbish. Well Mr Abbott, what would you call giving up to $30 billion dollars of tax payers money to big business, and others?

 I would call it a VERY substantial deposit for their support, wouldn’t you? Now who will be rolling in money?

Ken Price,

Eaglehawk