Janet Collins
Billy MFrequent Flyer Points Could Be Carbon Emissions Points
August 5th 2008 02:14
It’s enough that the Australian taxpayer has to fork out for flights, accommodation and expenses for our Government Ministers to travel all over the world for “talks”. Whatever justification is there for members of the Opposition to do the same?
This week, Opposition Liberal Party leader, Brendon Nelson, jets off overseas for the United States and the United Kingdom to do some talking of his own. Is there really a need for this? I know that the Federal Opposition needs to be as armed and dangerous as it possibly can be and probably justify this rort on the basis that they will be better briefed on how Australia is being judged internationally. Maybe Nelson may have a good case that it is in the public interest to balance the government’s monopoly in this area.
Our Liberal Party is likely to have at least two more years in opposition so its policies at this point in time are pretty much irrelevant. In some of the more controversial areas such as Climate Change, the party itself doesn’t seem to know where it stands. So how on earth is Brendon Nelson going to “sell” policies that have not reached some sort of consensus?
I know, Labor members were just as keen to jump on flights when in Opposition. I always wondered then how on earth they could justify such expenditure. They have little to gain for the country and most of the contact can be made through the internet anyway.
Maybe it’s about time we started exposing this travel for what it is - a junket. As climate change is such a hot issue at the moment, we could perhaps start allocating trading emissions points for travel clocked up by our politicians. It could work just as the “frequent flyer” points do. The points could be allocated for the distance travelled and calculated to show just how much they have individually contributed to the levels of carbon emissions.
Of course, there would be no point to this unless it was made public so a permanent internet site could be set up where the results could be available for everyone to see - something like a "Politicians' Carbon Emissions Scoreboard".
It’s a nice thought but you and I know this would never happen.
This week, Opposition Liberal Party leader, Brendon Nelson, jets off overseas for the United States and the United Kingdom to do some talking of his own. Is there really a need for this? I know that the Federal Opposition needs to be as armed and dangerous as it possibly can be and probably justify this rort on the basis that they will be better briefed on how Australia is being judged internationally. Maybe Nelson may have a good case that it is in the public interest to balance the government’s monopoly in this area.
Our Liberal Party is likely to have at least two more years in opposition so its policies at this point in time are pretty much irrelevant. In some of the more controversial areas such as Climate Change, the party itself doesn’t seem to know where it stands. So how on earth is Brendon Nelson going to “sell” policies that have not reached some sort of consensus?
I know, Labor members were just as keen to jump on flights when in Opposition. I always wondered then how on earth they could justify such expenditure. They have little to gain for the country and most of the contact can be made through the internet anyway.
Maybe it’s about time we started exposing this travel for what it is - a junket. As climate change is such a hot issue at the moment, we could perhaps start allocating trading emissions points for travel clocked up by our politicians. It could work just as the “frequent flyer” points do. The points could be allocated for the distance travelled and calculated to show just how much they have individually contributed to the levels of carbon emissions.
Of course, there would be no point to this unless it was made public so a permanent internet site could be set up where the results could be available for everyone to see - something like a "Politicians' Carbon Emissions Scoreboard".
It’s a nice thought but you and I know this would never happen.
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Comment by TimmyH
Tech News
Can you HACK it?
Genyration
Comment by TimmyH
Tech News
Can you HACK it?
Genyration
Comment by Jim Spears
Political Pundit
Sport Sensibility
Awesome.