The Carbontaxapocalypse

Update: Since these ads first appeared, they have now been modified to have a political statement blurb at the end. This shows at the very least that they always had a political intent.

Why the ATI anti-carbon tax ads make me want to throw my TV at the heads of about half of our wealthiest 10 Australians, who - by pure coincedence - all happen to be mining magnates.




The Carbontaxapocalypse

I'm guessing people have seen those anti-carbon tax ads on the telly, with a concerned slightly plump mum banging on about how she won't be able to buy weet bix for her kids after the carbon tax. Only an address is provided, and if you blink you'll miss a tiny ATI logo on screen. ATI are 'Australian Trade and Industry Alliance' and includes the Mineral Council of Australia. It is a coalition of 6 mining industry associations, that have banded together to outspend the government's advertising, and drum up public sentiment against the carbon tax, or indeed pretty much any action on climate change that is not hopelessly ineffectual (ie any Coalition policy).

The mum bangs on about how the price of everything will go up and no-one's gonna receive cent 1 of compensation. There is also talk about it being the most expensive carbon tax in the world. The first two are outright lies, and the third is a distortion.

The ALP's climate policy may not be brilliant, but the carbon tax is a moderately acceptable first step.

Most economists have pointed out that the carbon tax might actually jog the industry into more competitive behaviour, and while the prices of everything are always going up anyway, not everything is going to be drastically affected by the tax, targeted as it is directly at the industry itself.

There is a substantive compensation package included in the tax. Most of this is directed at low and middle income earners (you know, 95% of the population of the country), and is designed to offset any cost increases that the goons at the ATI shamelessly pass on to YOU, because they'd rather keep rolling naked in vats of champagne, caviar and naked thai ladyboys. If the ad's fat mum isn't getting any compensation it means her and her man-whale of a putative husband are probably raking in about 200 large on the annual. So guess what? Wide load doesn't NEED compensation, she just needs to stop bathing in Krug every day.

The most expensive tax in the world? Probably. Put it in context however. 1) It's not directed at YOU anyway, but the mining industry, who don't like to share their cash with peasants like you and me, 2) How many other countries HAVE a carbon tax or anything similar? That's right boyo, FEK ALL. 3) Most other countries that are taxing carbon have been doing so for 10 years, allowing them time to fine-tune their programs. We, by contrast have been sitting around with our thumbs up our arse far too long. 4) For a tiny nation of so few people, boy FEKKING howdy do we pump out a ton of carbon. If we ever want to reverse that, instead of remaining the dirtiest polluter on the planet as everyone else wises up, a short, sharp shock is probably the best place to start.



Doing anything will cause someone, somewhere to feel the pinch. If we'd taken action 10, 20, 30 years ago, maybe this would have been a painless transition.

The fact is we didn't. We ignored the problem through the 80's and 90's. We got lumbered with an aggressively anti-environmental government in the Howard years, a period which also made us shift vigorously to the far right politically. And now we have to contend with a minority government that would prefer to do nothing, an opposition of Monckton-praising denialists, and a public that has such a division of opinion it's like a chasm.

Our opinions, however are not going to stop temperature increase, chaotic weather patterns, the gradual acidification of the oceans or gradual increase in global average temperature. Increases of over 2º have already happened in some areas, spiking at +4-5º. Some island nations are looking at their eradication in under 10 years time.

We can quibble all we like about how, when, how much, how fast. As long as we have the commencement of some action underway, we can adjust and fine-tune it over the years. But we HAVE to start somewhere and we HAVE to start now.

Okay this has been a rant, but you know what? I rant because there's only so many times I can let the one-eyed idiot box lie to me in my own living room, and most newspapers are so 'event' rather than 'issue' focused, they look at these ads not as propaganda to be deconstructed but a 'challenge to Ju-liar's leadership'. Kiss my ass ATI.