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Greens are hippies

News Clippings AAP, October 13 2009

Family First senator Steve Fielding made the remark on Monday after the Greens released their amendments to Labor legislation setting up an emissions trading scheme.

He was at it again on Tuesday, saying the Greens’ “disaster policy” was environmentally extreme.

“You would have to live on another planet under their rule,” Senator Fielding told Fairfax Radio Network.

But Senator Brown said Australians wanted a proper debate on climate change, not the “throwing around of insults”.

The reference to hippies did not help that debate and “people don’t believe it either”, he said.

The Greens want an emission reduction target of 40 per cent by 2020, compared to the government’s five to 25 per cent.

It wants industry compensation to be slashed and zero compensation for coal-fired power stations, as well as a hike in petrol prices.

The party has also proposed a $22 billion plan to give every house in Australia an energy efficient makeover.