Herald Sun
23 February 2011, Page: 31
TERRY McCrann's criticisms of the carbon tax ("Carbon tax pain", February 22) are in my opinion simplistic and narrow minded. In the long run, a price on carbon combined with support for renewable energy and energy efficiency will keep electricity prices lower for households and consumers. The transition to renewable energy is already happening.
With strong government support in places such as California, renewable energy has already become as cheap as fossil fuel based electricity from the grid. The ever stronger global consensus on climate change means fossil fuels are no longer a good investment, and Australians will suffer higher electricity prices if we are left clinging to our coal power stations to the bitter end.
The impact of a carbon tax will be small compared with the increases due to billions of dollars of upgrades to the existing transmission network. Energy efficiency can counteract all these price rises. For example, the VECCI Carbon Down program has helped businesses reduce their bills despite switching them to more expensive Green Power.
Paul Murfitt, CEO, Moreland Energy Foundation
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