The Labor government has lost its position as the leader on climate change for the first time, following Kevin Rudd’s decision to dump plans for an emissions trading scheme.
Having always led the Coalition, at times by a margin of more than two to one on the question of which party would be best able to handle the issue of climate change, the Labor government is now equal to the Coalition opposition and, essentially, the Greens.
The Prime Minister’s sudden decision to push off any attempt to get the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme through this parliament and possibly not until after the election after next has led to a dramatic slump in support for Labor on climate change.
Under pressure from Tony Abbott’s political campaign against the ETS as a “great big tax” and faced with Coalition and Greens opposition in the Senate, Mr Rudd declared last week that the timetable for implementation of any CPRS would be “extended” until 2013 at least.
The plan for an emissions trading scheme and the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse gas emissions were central to Labor’s election plans in 2007.
Since then, Mr Rudd and Climate Change Minister Penny Wong have championed an ETS as the most efficient and best way to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The original CPRS bill was blocked twice in the Senate last year, providing the Labor government with an opportunity to call a double-dissolution election. The government introduced a new CPRS bill in February, which was also rejected in the Senate.
In Newspoll surveys on climate change taken since July 2008, voters have always selected Labor as the best party to handle the issue of climate change.
In July 2008, eight months after the election of the Rudd government and the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, the ALP had 45 per cent support to the Coalition’s 18 per cent and 17 per cent for “someone else” — the Greens.
Through to February last year, the government maintained a clear lead over the Coalition, although its support was down from 45 per cent to 38 per cent.
By February this year, after Malcolm Turnbull had lost the Liberal leadership to Mr Abbott, who opposed the CPRS, the ALP’s lead had dropped to five percentage points — 35 per cent for Labor to the Coalition’s 30 per cent — with the third force having 17 per cent support. In the face of concerted pressure from the Opposition Leader and dwindling public support for the CPRS because of rising electricity costs, Mr Rudd decided to shelve the CPRS.
Last weekend, support for Labor fell eight percentage points to 27 per cent, the Liberals fell four points to 26 per cent and the others jumped nine points to 26 per cent.
