Carbon tax closer

Australia is edging closer to a carbon tax.

Repeated questions and answers in Federal parliament made that clear.

Tony Abbott opened the batting, on the first full working day of the new session, asking Julia Gillard how  a carbon tax of $40 a tonne would impact on the living costs of an average Australian family.

The Prime Minister didn’t offer a figure, but told Mr Abbott that if he was “genuinely interested” in the matter, he could send representatives to join the multi-party committee the government is setting up, to study issues like this.

The opposition then pressed the issue, by asking why Ms Gillard is permitting debate on such a tax, when she had promised, before the recent election, that there would not be one.

Ms Gillard replied saying she had seen how Australians had voted in that election and received “the message” they had sent.

The Greens, who want a carbon tax, won a big increase in their vote, at that poll.

BHP-Billiton chief,  Marius Kloppers, also gave the debate a big push, saying Australia should prepare for a carbon tax.

It was the Climate Change  Minister, Greg Combet, though who set the seal on the issue, saying:”A carbon price is now mainstream economic thinking.

Mr Combet, who was also speaking at question time, said this had been illustrated by an editorial in The Australian Financial Review, which favoured such a tax.

Labor also responded aggressively to opposition questions on the economy in parliament.

The Federal Treasurer, Wayne Swan, said Australia had emerged from the greatest financial crisis in 75 years with one of the strongest economies in the Western world.

Employment had grown, the nation had seen 3.3 per cent economic growth, and there had been a 24 per cent increase in planned business investment.

However the speaker, Harry Jenkins, chided Mr Swan for taking five and a half minutes to deliver his answer, when the parliament had decided, earlier in the day, that replies should be kept to four minutes.

Mr Jenkins also rebuked the Manager of Opposition Business, Christopher Pyne, for interrupting question time, saying Pyne had acted as “if he were above” other MPs.