Promises, promises

Photo by marcos mayer on Unsplash

The new Labor Government has made great play of the fact that it intends to keep all its pre-election promises, and you can’t help but admire the commitment.

This means they remain wedded to two pre-election positions in particular: the tax cuts for high-wage earners, and the 43% per cent carbon reduction target, which also ties in with their willingness to approve various gas and coal projects. On the latter point, Resource Minister Madeliene King has said, “Overall, even as we are moving to a decarbonised energy system, coal and gas will continue to heat our homes and keep manufacturing going for many years to come. In short, if projects involving these traditional energy sources stack up environmentally, economically, and socially, we will support them.”

Challenged on the carbon target at her Press Club address, Tanya Plibersek specifically raised the fact that Labor wasn’t going to break promises. As Rachel Withers recorded in her daily Monthly colu…