Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox is calling the Federal Government’s safeguard mechanism a “Carbon Tax 2.0,” claiming it will impact the livelihoods of the region’s resource workers, especially farmers.
The safeguard mechanism reforms – which passed both houses on March 30 this year – requires large-scale industrial emitters to reduce their carbon emissions intensity by 4.9 per cent per annum, to achieve a 205-million tonne greenhouse gas reduction by 2030.
The bill is the centrepiece of the Labor Government’s emissions reduction target of 43 per cent. It will take effect on July 1, 2023. Reportedly, the cut will be the the equivalent of taking two-thirds of the nation’s cars off the roads.
But Mr Willcox said it will adversely affect the regions, claiming it exists to “penalise the 215 largest emitters in Australia, many of whom employ workers from the Dawson region,” if their carbon emissions tally higher than the baseline.
“Labor’s Safeguard Mechanism is yet another attack on the industries that keep our lights on, our cars running, and food on the table,” Mr Willcox said.
“Because of the Carbon Tax, industry is now forced to rip back productivity, or offset their emissions to stay under the baseline on paper. They’ll be forced to buy up productive farmland in a desperate search to tick Labor’s box.”
The National Farmers Federation (NFF) warned much to same effect, claiming the safeguard mechanism would “turbocharge” demand for offsets.
“This will potentially escalate land-use conflict, with pressure to turn food and fibre producing land into carbon sinks to counter the emissions from other industries,” NFF chief executive Tony Mahar said.
Mr Willcox said mum and dad farms are the ones set “to be used as that ‘offset’.
“This is going to lock up prime agricultural land, and price the next generation out of farming,” he said.
“Labor can’t land one policy right. They haven’t thought any of this through. It’s either they don’t know, they don’t care, or don’t value our farmers […] and none of those are good options.”
Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox said the new safeguard mechanism will affect mum and pop farmers more than the big companies
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