The Australian Greens insist there will be a floor price when the carbon tax transforms into an emissions trading scheme in 2015, despite reports the federal government is looking to scrap it.
GREENS leader Christine Milne was commenting on an ABC Radio report that federal Labor was “secretly negotiating to dump or at least dramatically rejig the proposed three-year floor price”.
The ABC cited three separate unnamed sources as confirming the reports.
Senator Milne confirmed her party was in talks with the government regarding the floor price but denied it would be scrapped.
“No, the government’s not walking away from a floor price,” she told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
“We’ve legislated for a floor price but there are regulations that have to be brought in.”
Independent MP Rob Oakeshott said in May that the floor price should not be introduced to allow Australian companies to buy international permits if they are cheaper.
