18 FEBRUARY 2015www.abc.net.au
Prime Minister under pressure from backbench to legislate aluminium renewable target exemption
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
2 min read
Prime Minister Tony Abbott is under pressure from his backbench to introduce legislation making aluminium smelting exempt from the Renewable Energy Target (RET).
The aluminium industry has successfully lobbied the Coalition to grant its smelters an exemption from the RET.
Labor agreed to support it several months ago but the Government is yet to introduce legislation making the change.
Queensland Nationals backbencher Ken O'Dowd said he asked Mr Abbott why on Friday night.
"We want to save jobs in Queensland, jobs in Gladstone, and I think it's essential," Mr O'Dowd said.
He said Mr Abbott took the question on board and he expected an answer soon.
Mr O'Dowd also said he was assured the legislation will be backdated once it is introduced.
"I've also inquired [whether it will] be backdated and I was assured that it would be backdated to the first of January," he said.
He said he also believed Mr Abbott and Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane will support extending the exemption to cement.
"These are two industries and they are big operations in my seat of Flynn. They need certainty, they need assurances," he said.
In a statement, a spokesman for Mr Macfarlane said "the Government is aware of the cost pressures faced by Energy Intensive Trade Exposed Industries (EITEs) as a result of the RET and is committed to providing a 100 per cent exemption to all existing EITEs as part of any agreement."
The ABC understands the cement industry was last week lobbying Labor MPs to support such an exemption.
The aluminium industry has successfully lobbied the Coalition to grant its smelters an exemption from the RET.
Labor agreed to support it several months ago but the Government is yet to introduce legislation making the change.
Queensland Nationals backbencher Ken O'Dowd said he asked Mr Abbott why on Friday night.
"We want to save jobs in Queensland, jobs in Gladstone, and I think it's essential," Mr O'Dowd said.
He said Mr Abbott took the question on board and he expected an answer soon.
Mr O'Dowd also said he was assured the legislation will be backdated once it is introduced.
"I've also inquired [whether it will] be backdated and I was assured that it would be backdated to the first of January," he said.
He said he also believed Mr Abbott and Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane will support extending the exemption to cement.
"These are two industries and they are big operations in my seat of Flynn. They need certainty, they need assurances," he said.
In a statement, a spokesman for Mr Macfarlane said "the Government is aware of the cost pressures faced by Energy Intensive Trade Exposed Industries (EITEs) as a result of the RET and is committed to providing a 100 per cent exemption to all existing EITEs as part of any agreement."
The ABC understands the cement industry was last week lobbying Labor MPs to support such an exemption.
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