AUSTRALIA ‘PEOPLES ASSEMBLY’ TO JUDGE CLIMATE CHANGE

PM pledges 'people's assembly' on climate
Adam Morton and Tom Arup, july 23, 2010 (The Age)

"A Julia Gillard government would create a ''citizens' assembly'' of ''real Australians'' to investigate the science of climate change and consequences of emissions trading, under a plan to build a national consensus for a carbon price…[The Prime Minister will also] set up an expert climate change commission that would both explain climate science to the public and report on steps being taken in other countries…

"…[Under] the government's revamped climate change policy, Julia Gillard will commit to vigorously arguing in public and in the Parliament for cutting greenhouse gas emissions through a carbon trading scheme…[but] build community consensus first, and flag the possibility of further delay if the citizens' assembly is not convinced of the need to act."

Gillard plans to make the Australian people responsible for dealing with this. Novel idea. (click to enlarge)

"…[The Gillard government will not] re-consider its decision to shelve emissions trading until at least 2013 - an about-face that was backed by Ms Gillard and played a central role in Kevin Rudd's downfall…[and will not] consider bringing in an interim carbon tax, an option canvassed by Labor's former climate adviser, economist Ross Garnaut, and backed by the Greens.

"…Ms Gillard will stick to the timeline of reviewing the government's position in 2012…[Until then, she will] reward businesses that take early action by guaranteeing them the full compensation planned under the existing trading scheme model, even if their emissions fall significantly before then."

Gillard: A politician who believes in the electorate. How can she win? (click to enlarge)

"…[Gillard sees] the need to build consensus on a carbon price [as comparable to] that developed over Medicare, saying it eventually won such strong community support that people would now vote out a party that tried to unwind it…"

[Gillard:] "It is vital to be clear what I mean by that community consensus - I do not mean that government can take no action until every member of the community is fully convinced… I will not allow our country to be held to ransom by a few people with extreme views that will never be changed. But I want to see a process that directly involves a representative range of ordinary Australians…If I am wrong, and that group of Australians is not persuaded of the case for change, then that should be a clear warning bell that our community has not been persuaded as deeply as required about the need for transformational change."