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The Forum > Article Comments > The ALP and the environment > Comments

The ALP and the environment : Comments

By Richard Denniss, published 29/7/2010

A 'Citizens' Assembly' could be the single worst idea ever floated by an elected government in a federal election.

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Yabby "that while people liked talking about doing something about the environment they objected very strongly to paying to do something about the environment.*

YEs, Rudd came in on a ETS mandate and Gizzards has buck-passed it to a talk-fest... tytpical "time-buying"

She can claim to be doing something when in fact she is doing nothing

and refering to Yabbys comment

as one politician famously said


"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money"

Ultimately one has to ask who "benefits" from an ETS ?

It is certainly not the electorate and whilst I have met many voters,

I have never, ever met even one single "common good"

So, let "the common good" vote for it and leave the electorate vote for what they are prepared to pay for -

but really, why should voters ever consider supporting one?
Posted by Stern, Thursday, 29 July 2010 1:10:47 PM
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gw religion is a substitute for faith in God. It ignores inward corruption in order to sprout outward self righteousness. What an enormous waste of time and money. For those who want true action in cleaning up the environment it must be heart breaking.
Posted by runner, Thursday, 29 July 2010 1:36:30 PM
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Many Australians have been through the relentless cycles of faux consultation and spin, then the inevitable, imposed 'solution' that was there all along. This is the way 'necessary' change has been slyly and ruthlessly implemented in private and public spheres for decades now and even the slowest, 'uncommitted' junior whipping boy is awake to it.

It is the process by which government has achieved its 'positive' affirmative action strategies that summarily forced fathers of families out onto the street never to get another job - too old at forty-five - and the way private industry was able to mount continuing, successful assaults on workers' hard-won conditions and 'permanent job status.

The only mercy as far as Gillard's 'initiative' (they are always 'initiatives') is concerned is that the plump, soft hands of the usual horde of consultants reaching out for whopping fees are not obvious so far. However they will be there in the background as per usual and they will already be looking at budgets first, totting up their possible take. It has been a long-standing joke that the first priority of Australian governments is to ensure that no consultant will ever live in poverty.

My criticism isn't that the consultation will be a sham, everyone realises that, but that there are well-tried models of direct community consultation that are available, yet government implacably refuses to use them. There is a danger in democracy and it is that the 'mug punters' envisioned by political machines and their backers might find they don't really need big government after all and many of the laws which are the only measurable output of parliament achieve sweet bugger all but more inconvenience and loss of liberty.

I would sack half of the remaining politicians after abolishing State governments. As should be obvious to any consultant with her glossy, ready made solution, the management overhead of government is appalling and the value for money is not there for the shareholders.

A 'Citizens' Assembly' is not such a bad idea if it could be massaged a bit to replace those drones and their entourages in Canberra.
Posted by Cornflower, Thursday, 29 July 2010 2:23:51 PM
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"Citizen's assembly"- when a government wants to pretend to care about what the people think, without having to resort to a referendum and getting the result they don't like- and worse, planting an idea in the public that they would somehow be entitled to have a say, as if they were living in a democracy or something.

More Labor bull. Nothing to see here.
Posted by King Hazza, Thursday, 29 July 2010 2:42:57 PM
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"Citizen's assembly"- Isn't that what they had at CopenHagen. Will the China and India be invited? If not what is the use? Another round of free junkets for Labour lackies.
Posted by runner, Thursday, 29 July 2010 3:11:30 PM
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Why just 150 people to decide? Why not 22 million? Everyone who thinks a carbon tax is justified could just write out a cheque to the government and send in the amount they think they deserve.
Posted by Peter Hume, Thursday, 29 July 2010 3:46:45 PM
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