BJORN LOMBORG ~ THE SCEPTICAL ENVIRONMENTALIST

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PM GILLARD HAS TOUGH FIGHT AHEAD ON CARBON TAX
~ The Australian

JULIA Gillard has warned Labor MPs to brace for a long, hard debate over her carbon tax as Tony Abbott predicted he would have a "massive mandate" to repeal the measure after the next election.

The Prime Minister told caucus members today she would not take a backward step, saying the government would win the argument on pricing carbon by engaging ``patiently, calmly and methodically'' with the community.
"We can prevail in a debate that is based on reason versus fear," she told Labor MPs.

Ms Gillard compared Tony Abbott's response to the climate plan to his opposition to health reform and the floods levy, saying his was a "culture of complaint".

She said the Opposition Leader was becoming "increasingly hysterical and flaky", and the reality of her climate change tax would expose Mr Abbott's position as a simplistic fear-campaign.
Speaking to the Coalition joint partyroom today, Mr Abbott said Ms Gillard was a liar and Greens Leader Bob Brown was effectively in charge of the government.

He claimed moral authority in his pledge to repeal the tax, saying this would be endorsed by voters at the next election.

Asked later how he would scrap the tax without control of the Senate, Mr Abbott said voters would send a message that could not be ignored.
"I expect that the Australian public will be so disgusted at the Prime Minster's breach of trust they will be so appalled by this assault on their standard of living that we will have a massive mandate to rescind this, should it come in," Mr Abbott told reporters.
"Politicians should not break promises and the public should punish politicians who break promises."

As Australian Industry Group chief executive Heather Ridout, one of Labor's key business allies, declared the jury was still out on a carbon tax, Ms Gillard said scrapping the regime would be "dreadful" for business.

Mr Abbott said his team was united in its position on climate change.

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