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Fielding Appeals to Senators

Press Releases July 13 2009

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Family First Leader Senator Steve Fielding has today written to all senators asking them to look closely at the science before casting their vote on an emissions trading scheme.

Set out in the letter is a chart based on IPCC figures (figures accepted by Minister Wong and Chief Scientist, Penny Sackett) which shows that over the last 15 years carbon dioxide emissions have increased, while global temperatures have remained steady.

“This runs counter to the assumption underpinning the CPRS which says that increasing carbon dioxide emissions are the leading cause of global warming,” Senator Fielding said.

“Given the Rudd Government has failed to explain this obvious contradiction I can’t understand how any member of the Australian parliament can vote for an emissions trading scheme.

“I find it incomprehensible that we’ll be voting for this scheme and going it alone before the rest of the world acts.

“Kevin Rudd and Penny Wong are hanging the Australian economy out to dry if the rest of the world doesn’t follow suit.

“Its economically irresponsible for the parliament to pass the CPRS legislation before Copenhagen, when we’ll have more of an idea what the US, China, India and Brazil are going to do on this front.

“Now even the Prime Minister himself has admitted that a global agreement at Copenhagen is unlikely, so why is he rushing to pass this legislation if all it will do is cost thousands of Australian jobs without having any benefit for the environment?”