Two Liberal MPs want Tony Abbott
to review or consider abandoning parts of his $3.2 billion plan to combat
climate change in light of ''dire economic circumstances''.Mal Washer and Dennis Jensen made
the comments about the Coalition's Direct Action plan in the same week MPs
broke ranks to publicly criticise Mr Abbott's paid parental leave scheme as
economically irresponsible.
Western Australian MP Mal Washer
said: ''If we are not going to get a big environmental bang for our buck then
we ought not to do it. The policy needs to be reviewed and only the valuable
parts need to be retained … in light of dire economic circumstances.'' Dr
Washer added that he agreed with the tree planting initiatives in the scheme.
It is understood others within
the Coalition, including senior ministers, are concerned about the policy, but
will not say so publicly. The discontent about the plan comes from those
concerned about tackling climate change, such as Dr Washer, and those sceptical
about its existence.
Another Western Australian MP, Dennis
Jensen, said Direct Action was ''not optimal policy'', although he said it was
better than Labor's carbon tax or emissions trading scheme. ''I think there's
room to manoeuvre after the election on Direct Action,'' said Dr Jensen, a
climate sceptic. ''I would welcome debate on all sorts of big spending
commitments where the benefits are arguable.''
The two MPs were part of a
Liberal Party group, led by backbencher Alex Hawke, that urged Mr Abbott this
week to ditch his paid parental leave scheme.
Former treasurer Peter Costello
said last month the Coalition should abandon policies such as paid parental
leave and Direct Action because they were unaffordable.
Opposition frontbencher Malcolm
Turnbull, who lost his party leadership over his support for Labor's emissions
trading scheme, has described the Coalition's Direct Action policy as a
''farce'' and ''bullshit''.
''It is not possible to criticise
the new Coalition policy on climate change because it does not exist,'' Mr
Turnbull wrote in a 2009 opinion column.
''The Liberal Party is currently
led by people whose conviction on climate change is that it is 'crap' … Any
policy that is announced will simply be a con, an environmental figleaf to
cover a determination to do nothing,'' he wrote then.
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In : Direct Action Plan
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"coalition" liberal party" "direct action plan" "tony abbott" "climate change denier" "peter costello" "alex hawke" "malcolm turnbull" "dennis jensen"