Fed: Coalition policy will cost enormously less than Labor scheme

AAP General News (Australia)
12-07-2009
Fed: Coalition policy will cost enormously less than Labor scheme

CANBERRA, Dec 7 AAP - Tony Abbott has refused to comment on reports his treasury spokesman
had estimated the cost of the new opposition leader's climate policy at more than $50
billion.

Mr Abbott has not denied a "tense" discussion took place between himself and Joe Hockey
in shadow cabinet about climate policy during the coalition's recent internal ructions.

"The last thing I would do is attribute emotion into those discussions," Mr Abbott
told ABC Radio on Monday.

The cost of any new coalition climate policy would depend on what was agreed by the
party room, but it would be less than Labor's $120 billion carbon pollution reduction
scheme.

"I'm confident that we can achieve, well and truly, mandatory (emission) targets for
an enormous amount less than that," Mr Abbott said.

The opposition leader is not holding much prospect for a significant agreement at the
UN climate summit in Copenhagen, which begins on Monday.

"I don't think there are going to be too many concrete commitments other than those
that have already been given."

AAP srj/rl/maur

KEYWORD: CLIMATE ABBOTT

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