Why parents must pay the “Paris premium” on their electricity

Peter Dutton yesterday defended his decision to keep Australia in the Paris climate accord, despite Donald Trump this week pulling America out.

Like Labor, the Teals and Greens, the Coalition is not serious about addressing cost of living while it keeps our electricity system shackled to an unrealistic global agreement which the big emitters are not even signed up to.

In a radio interview Peter Dutton gave his rationale for forcing mums and dads to continue paying the Paris premium on their electricity bills:

“We are an export nation, so unlike the United States we are a small nation. We are a population of only 27 million people.

 

We produce more than we can consume and farmers and manufacturers rely on markets in Asia, in Europe, in America, to export our products.

 

And we have signed up to an international agreement which, I think, will have continuing relevance for countries in Europe.

 

The future dynamic can change but we have to act in our country’s best interests and to have European countries, for example but not exclusively, apply tariffs to our exports would mean a loss of economic activity here, a loss of jobs.”

The Queensland LNP Senator Matt Canavan immediately contradicted his leader, posting on X late yesterday:

“Some people claim that we have to stay in Paris agreement because otherwise our exports would be hit with carbon tariffs.

 

The EU is the only region proposing to do this. Their carbon tariffs would impact just 0.11% of our exports.

 

Not even worth worrying about it!”

Peter Dutton misses the fact that America, China, Indonesia and India are either not in Paris or are not complying. This leaves a few European countries, which as Canavan notes, account for so little of our trade they are not worth worrying about.

Family First agrees with Matt Canavan and Donald Trump. The Trump administration believes US taxpayers will save $1 trillion by pulling out of Paris. This means Australian mums and dads would also save billions.

Dutton keeps claiming that Labor has secret Paris emissions targets for 2035, which will hit households hard.

Yesterday, the Opposition confirmed it too would have Paris targets for the 2030s and has also refused to release them before the election. With emissions targets being the cause of the electricity price increases and the general cost of living crisis, neither party can claim to be serious about what is the number one issue at this election.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday said an incoming Dutton government should, like Trump, declare an “energy emergency”.

Family First agrees with Abbott, with prices through the roof, the grid in a fragile state and continual warnings of blackouts by the Australian Energy Market Operator.

Family First’s Senate team, with Katie Lush (Qld), Lyle Shelton (NSW), Bernie Finn (Vic) and Christopher Brohier (SA) will continue to fight for cheaper power.

Lyle Shelton is National Director of the Family First Party. He started his career as a rural journalist before being elected as a member of the Toowoomba City Council and serving the Australian Christian Lobby for 10 years, half of that decade as ACL's Managing Director. He was a Director and spokesman for the Coalition for Marriage during the 2017 postal survey campaign which resulted in the legal undefinition of marriage. He also blogs here.