“Popular opposition to the government’s flawed Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will continue to grow over the next 90 days before another vote,” predicts The Nationals’ Senator Ron Boswell following the Senate’s rejection of the government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme today. “Today we won the battle but not the war on the ETS.” “As information spreads about the costliness of the Rudd government’s ETS in terms of jobs and increases in power and food costs, there will be more questions and doubts about the appropriateness of this policy.” “The recent Newspoll findings that 53% of Australians either oppose the ETS or want a vote delayed until after Copenhagen show that Rudd’s ETS is growing less popular with every week.” “It is very important that the public be aware that the Treasury modelling which is the basis for all the ETS claims made by the government is itself heavily compromised by its assumptions including globally coordinated action.” “In the absence of hard targets for emissions reduction from China and India there is no global action, there is just a carbon tax on Australian businesses. That puts Australian industry at a cost disadvantage compared with its international competitors.” “Australia’s industry is built on a relatively cheap power base. Rudd’s ETS dismantles that core competitive advantage.” Senator Boswell said that the impact of Rudd’s ETS on small and medium sized businesses was only now coming to the attention of business operators. “As business owners realise that their energy inputs will rise and put further pressure on their profit margins, there will be growing dismay at the government’s interventions to their cost base.” Senator Boswell was critical of Senator Wong, the Minister for Climate Change for not listening to the genuine concerns of businesses alarmed at the extra costs that threatened their livelihood. “In many cases these are businesses keen to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency but the ETS costs prevent them from having the wherewithal to invest in the improvements.” ENDS