FED:'Go back to the drawing board' on carbon=2

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2011
FED:'Go back to the drawing board' on carbon=2

The coalition believes it could achieve Australia's emissions reduction target "two
or three times over" by ramping up uranium and LNG exports.

Opposition resources spokesman Ian Macfarlane says an increase would add to Australia's
emissions reduction scorecard even if it happened offshore.

"If we increased our LNG exports by 50 million tonnes and replaced coal with that,
say in China or Korea or Japan, we would reduce the world's emissions by 150 million tonnes
a year," Mr Macfarlane told ABC Radio on Wednesday.

"That's a plus that Australia should be given credit for."

Similarly, the coalition believes increasing Australia's uranium exports from 10,000
to 37,000 tonnes by 2030 could cut down 1.4 billion tonnes of carbon pollution a year.

Mr Macfarlane said boosting uranium and LNG exports, combined with the coalition's
direct action policy, would see Australia achieve its aim of a five per cent cut to emissions
by 2020.

"We'll actually do it two or three times over.

"The reality is we don't have to do it through a carbon tax - by taxing our own industries
out of existence."

Mr Macfarlane backed comments from the Australian Workers Union's South Australian
branch suggesting industrial towns will go belly-up as a result of the tax.

"(The carbon tax) is to make the high emitting industries basically shut down.

"And in the lack of an international trading scheme of course the industries will just
move overseas."

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KEYWORD: CLIMATE 2 CANBERRA

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