Isramart : City to lobby on carbon trading

A delegation from the city of Greater Geelong plans to head to Canberra on Thursday (19th) to lobby for the protection of it’s manufacturing sector.

The group from city hall, including Mayor John Mitchell, Bruce Harwood and John Doull, has accepted an invitation from groups representing the aluminium and cement industries, to join other manufacturing regions from across Australia in debating an agreed position on carbon-trading subsidies.

That joint position will then be used to lobby the Federal Government.

The decision to enter the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme discussions comes after City of Greater Geelong representatives met with industries in the region including Alcoa, Shell, Blue Circle Cement and their suppliers.

These companies are calling for a higher subsidy percentage than the Federal Government is currently considering, which they claim will ensure their long-term survival in Australia.

Amendments put up for discussion by the Opposition suggest emissions-intensive trade-exposed industries, like Alcoa, receive 94.5 per cent government subsidies until 2015 and 90 per cent thereafter.

A spokesperson for Geelong Manufacturing Council said the current scheme made it difficult because commodity producers at the mercy of world prices couldn’t pass that impact on to customers.