Typically of conservative thinkers/tea party types, [and is that an oxymoron or what,] of shooting the messenger, if they don't like the message?
Rhrosty.

A very fair, pithy article that I enjoyed reading. Things that needed to be said.

Thank you.

Good article.

The obvious question is why has the Abbott Government not abolished this pernicious propaganda machine.

It should be dismantled immediately

I really don't know why Don Aitkin devotes so much more emphasis on his climate change scepticism that on the so-called 'commitment' of the international community to reducing carbon emissions. After all, even he must concede that the science in its current state might be right, or at least close to the truth. And anyway, the scientists, as I keep saying, will sort it out, even thought that might be a painfully slow process.

As for the claimed global commitment on carbon emissions, surely Don could argue convincingly on that single point. He could and should take the line that there is no chance whatsoever of genuine global agreement to reduce living standards, which is an uncontested and inevitable consequence of the higher energy prices that result from trying to 'decarbonise' an economy. Why take a gamble on the climate science being wrong? In maybe five years his argument might disappear while the zero prospect of global agreement is a certainty. When have nations all agreed on anything? And if by some miracle all nations were indeed of a mind to agree on one thing (for the first time in history), would there not be far more valuable results than avoiding two degrees of global warming? War? Religion? The list could go on.

With real events taking place in the world it is refreshing that Abbott is acting on his first instinct (man made gw is crp). Billions already given to the Green religous high priests and those on the public trough. Planet would be spotless had the money gone on cleaning the planet.

Leo, the 'Climate Change Authority' is no longer funded by the government but is acting purely as a private lobby group -- which gives its assumption of the term 'Authority' a particularly ironic tone. Authority is what they are singularly lacking, but desperately wish they had.

But full marks to Tony Abbott for his accurate pre-election prediction that Tim Flannery doesn't need to be paid to pontificate; on the contrary, perhaps we should pay him to shut up.