Which has exactly zero relevance to global warming! Without a way of at least stopping population growth, everything else is simply (expensive) window dressing.
John
Printable View
Hey I dont agree with the carbon tax in the form it is in as it actually achieves very little. I could however be swayed on one that actually accomplished something worth while.
I am sorry but without mining this country would be bankrupt, no ifs, no buts.
I agree we should be doing some downstream processing, but you can not just blame the miners for that. Our job is extracting the ore from the ground and selling it. Often that is to overseas producers as we as consumers do not want to pay $100 a sheet for colourbond, $10,000 dollars for a set of saucepans or $100,000 for Hyundai Elantra. The processing and manufacturing capabilities just are not here, let alone sourcing employees at $2 a day to run them and produce said items.
I would love to see down stream processing but I am a realist and know it is generally just not feasable.
If you want to blame anyone how about blaming spineless governments who are controlled by corporate executives, who have no foresight.
I am sick of hearing the towns get taken over bull**** too, it does happen, but what about similar growth in places like Greater Sydney? What about the 80% of the mining work force that are FIFO? so actually live in our cities and keep these areas sustainable. Growth happens wether we like it or not and is tied with population growth and as it is we focus too much on overpopulating our cities.
The reason most people earn good money in the mining industry is because we will live and work in ****holes most of the population wont, we comply to D&A testing that most wont, we work hard in hot climates in high risk jobs that most wont and above all we are away from families for long periods of time and this is why we are compensated accordingly. Most of the jobs dont pay much more as a base rate than anywhere else. Most is paid for shift penalties and living remote.
You also tend to forget the cost of living in many of these areas absorbs a lot of the so called higher income.
There is also a widespread misconception that everybody earns $200k a year, well that is rare. Truck drivers working 2 weeks on 1 week off on 12hr days are on around $120k, which is around the average. Construction is where the actual big money is, construction of mining infrastructure, I dont see anyone criticising that part of the industry.
Confused all right!!!
You don't get it do you?
We are going to be giving our money to other countries to pollute as much as they can.
The argument is not supposed to be about Pollution.
It's supposed to be about minimising Man Made Climate change, and despite Julias edict that the science is in, the science is still being debated and that's what makes people mad, the fact that we have been conned and lied to.
I cant believe this. Sounds like everything we buy is going to get dearer :mad:
That is pretty much the jist of it.
People will pay and nothing will get done to actually help the environment and then with the extra revenue you can guarantee that the pollies will stick their hand out for a big pay rise. A few will be compensated in a small way but most of us who will pay. How much will probablly take 5 years to really know the final cost.
No it won't. Don't believe what the pollies say. Any money spent on green energy will be creating jobs in Thailand, India, Chillie and other overseas countries. I'm in the industry. I see this often. "How can we do this cheaper? Send it off shore."
That time has passed. Innovation has moved off shore. We can't compete. Our knowledgeable people are moving overseas.
Australia needs to be self sufficient. If Australia wants it, design and manufacture it in Australia.
A few hundred bucks a week is more than most have as disposable cash. I think you meant a different figure. I don't object to paying a few hundred dollars a year provided it is spent in Australia on alternative energy and carbon reduction research and development. This carbon tax will not be used for that purpose.
As a scientist of the earth, the science is still under debate, that makes me mad. Its not even proven, or we have not even proven to what extent we have effected the earth.
Since I work in billions of years, as a opposed to a few hundred years the earth will sort us all out in the end, need not worry all :p