From Dr. Bob Carter

Dear Recipient,

You will almost certainly have heard the news that last Wednesday, February 23, Prime Minister Gillard announced on behalf of her Multi-Party Committee on Climate Change an in-principle commitment to introduce a carbon dioxide tax in Australia on July 1, 2012, to be replaced by an emissions trading scheme several years later.

The result of all such schemes is an immediate and significant increase in the cost of living (the precise cost depending upon the level at which the tax is levied per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted).  The tax will achieve absolutely no measurable effect on future climate. It is not an environmental good measure, but a revenue raising measure that will hurt poor people most (i.e., the tax is regressive). In fact, in such terms, it is simply a con.

There have been immediate and spontaneous protests against the tax from persons and groups across Australia. You may recall, also, that a previous plan to introduce a similar Emissions Trading Scheme was defeated three times in Canberra, the final time in the Senate in part because of a massive people’s protest that was registered from across the country to politicians in Canberra.

As summarised in the attached briefing document, plans are afoot to continue with present protests against this new tax, and, if necessary, to launch yet another (fourth) wave of protests to Canberra, should that prove necessary.

I invite you to consider participating in this protest by signing up to become a member of an informal action group in your town, area or region. The appropriate email address to write to is contained in the “What Can I Do?” section of the attached briefing document by Professor Bob Carter, who is a long-time opponent of Canberra’s unrealistic “stop climate change” policy plans.

Finally, (i) please feel free to forward this message, and the briefing document, to any other persons that you think might be interested in it; and (ii) I apologize if this turns out to be a multiple copy of the letter (in which case, of course, please discard it), but hope that you will agree, given the importance of the matter, that it is better for you to get multiple copies than to receive none.

Signature

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See the attached briefing document 2011-AusAGW-4z.doc and see this story in Quadrant. See also this excellent summary sent to all MPs.