The spectacular failure of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference is a clear endorsement of The Nationals unequivocal rejection of Labor’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), The Nationals Member for Riverina, Kay Hull, said today.

“The Rudd Labor Government has insisted for two years that its CPRS had to be passed by the Australian Parliament before Copenhagen,” Mrs Hull. said. “However, the CPRS was never an issue during the Copenhagen talkfest, and no-one even suggested that a CPRS was the solution to climate change.

“While some advocated a new global tax on financial transactions, and Prime Minister Rudd was apparently a party to discussions about a new tax on aviation and shipping, no-one was interested in Labor’s CPRS.”

The final communiqué drafted by President Obama and a handful of personally chosen world leaders said nothing about the need for a CPRS. In a humiliating embarrassment, “Friend of the Chair” Kevin Rudd was not even invited to the communiqué drafting sessions. 

Mrs Hull said it is frightening that Australia went close to having a legislated CPRS locked in place before the Copenhagen fiasco. 

Copenhagen proved what the Coalition has been saying for two years; namely, no other country has any plans to implement a CPRS anything like the Rudd Labor plan. 

Copenhagen proved that Labor’s CPRS would have had a devastating impact on Australian industry, costing tens of thousands of jobs and delivering no benefits to the environment. 

Developing countries thumbed their noses at Mr Rudd and made it clear they would continue to expand their industry to take up any cutback in production in Australia caused by the CPRS. 

Australian households would have been paying more, Australian industry would have been producing less, Australian jobs would have been exported overseas, and our food and manufactured goods would increasingly have been imported from countries without a CPRS.

“Labor’s CPRS was always a political stunt. It was just another giant tax that was never going to reduce global carbon emissions.” 

Mrs Hull said it would be the height of hypocrisy if Labor were to waste the time of the Parliament by reintroducing its CPRS. The Government’s arrogant attempt to lead the world on climate change has ended in embarrassing failure. There has never been a tax yet that has reduced the temperature, or lowered sea levels. 

Labor should follow the Coalition’s lead and implement practical measures which actually reduce emissions and provide appropriate incentives for Australians to play their part in a genuine international response to climate change concerns.