LONG-TERM Gladstone resident Narelle Russell has grave fears that planned projects in the region will go offshore as a result of the carbon tax announced yesterday by Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
“I do fear for the projects that have been mooted for this area, as they are all carbon intensive,” Mrs Russell said.
The carbon tax of $23 per tonne will be paid by about 500 big polluters.
Manufacturing industries like aluminium smelting will receive 94.5% assistance and liquefied natural gas projects will receive 50% assistance.
Mrs Russell has lived in Gladstone her whole life and said while she had an emotional attachment to the port city, big companies only had an economic attachment.
She said by introducing the carbon tax, the government was putting big companies at a trading disadvantage and they would look at leaving Australia in order to continue making a profit.
“It’s a business decision (if businesses left), not an environmental decision.”
None of Australia’s trading partners had carbon tax schemes and Mrs Russell believes it will do “severe damage” to the economy.
“The businesses can’t be controlled by the government and they will pack up and go some where else,” she said.
“They run on profit, they will not stay here if they aren’t making a profit.
“My fear here for Gladstone is that the government will make it too difficult for them to run and be profitable and then there goes our jobs and our standard of living.
“I would have preferred to have seen some form of licence for big companies and they had to reduce their emissions over a five-year period or they wouldn’t have their licence renewed.”
Under the various compensation and tax cuts being touted by the government in their announcement, Mrs Russell figured she and husband Alf would be better off by about $16 a year.
(Source: Gladstone Observer, Liz Carson | 11th July 2011)
