Julia Gillard is offering the pro carbon pricing independents Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor big and costly concessions to get their support for her broken promise on a carbon tax.

Mr Oakeshott, who consistently championed throughout 2009 an independent authority to do all the  heavy lifting in imposing a carbon price sufficient to “let the market rip” and “let the science fly” - without intervention by politicians – appears to have won the support of the government, and Labor’s preferred climate change guru Ross Garnaut, for the concept.

Mr Garnaut will reportedly outline Mr Oakeshott’s preferred position at the National Press Club today, after an overnight indication the government was already considering the option in discussions at the so-called Multi-party Climate Change Committee – which is now making crucial decisions about the tax in the pointed absence of the Chair, Prime Minister Gillard, and co-Deputy Chair, Treasurer Wayne Swan. They have absented themselves.

Apparent government support for the Oakeshott model is developing now despite the fact it consistently rejected Mr Oakeshott’s proposed amendments in 2009 to create such an authority because it believed the decisions were so important they needed parliamentary scrutiny.

And, separately the government has signalled it is prepared to support an emissions reduction target of 80% by 2050.

This is precisely the level of reduction New England independent Tony Windsor has long demanded.

In a 2008 private members bill Mr Windsor sought a 30% reduction in emissions by 2020, and 80% by 2050. He has described the bipartisan target of a 5% reduction as “nonsensical” because it is way too low, and consistently voted against the Rudd era CPRS bills because of it.

Senator Boswell said it was likely the Greens would support both measures, making their inclusion in the carbon tax regime almost certain.

“The Greens want a 100 reduction in emissions by 2050 but would likely support an 80% reduction,” he predicted.

“They will also relish the opportunity to impose very big targets, in line with their policy of a minimum 40% cut by 2020, via a suitably stacked Oakeshott/Garnaut style independent authority led by, say, Tim Flannery, Ross Garnaut, and Cate Blanchett.”

ENDS