Despite the controversy generated by the carbon tax, Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said on Thursday that the country is now ready to take global lead on climate.
Mr Brown said the UN Convention on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa this month is an opportunity for Australia to play a more active role. He said the approval of the carbon tax placed the country on a very good position to push for a global agreement.
He supported the claim of Senator Larissa Waters that Australia could achieve 100 per cent reliance on renewable energy by 2017 even if others find the claim unrealistic because even Prime Minister Julia Gillard had admitted that coal would still be part of Australia’s energy mix for the next 40 years.
“We’ve got with the Gillard government this quite remarkable package through the parliament of Australia…. But we can’t rest on our laurels and we’ll be looking at how we can improve on (renewable energy use) in the future,” Mr Brown told ABC radio.
The senator also defended the $23 per tonne price of Australia’s carbon tax which is higher than the average $8 to $12 price in Europe.
“We do have a prospective price that is going to be higher than where Europe is at the moment…. What was predicted to be about the world level will help in itself to raise levels for the trading schemes elsewhere in the world,” he said.
A day earlier, Ms Gillard predicted that the drama over carbon tax would eventually subside and those opposed to the measure would finally realise that they cannot repeal it. She even claimed that Opposition leader Tony Abbott has no intention of repealing the carbon tax despite his public vows to do so if his party would win in the next election.
