Carbon Tax package finally unveiled

One option in this context could be a 1 per cent increase in Company Tax – which would still leave Australia way short of Company Tax rates in the United States. Another option could be a modest reduction in dividend imputation to 75%.

In conclusion, Labor has a long way to go in convincing voters of the merits of this carbon tax package. What is interesting is that Gillard's carbon tax package is very similar in its dimensions to the earlier proposed Emissions Trading Scheme. But what is notably different is the word'tax.'

The fear campaign spread in the right-populist monopoly media has found its mark. Many Australians are angry that Gillard is exceeding her mandate in this way, despite the fact she has had no choice in the context of minority government.

This will only change once the package is implemented and most people see for themselves they are no worse off. Most Australians will only pay with the costs of structural adjustment being passed on over the very long term.

We talk here of large-scale future investment in renewable energy. But the same could be said with Abbott's 'direct action,' where the costs of industry adjustment could be paid for with direct subsidies from tax payers, paid for via sweeping austerity.

And yet we all should be willing to make small sacrifices in fighting climate change for the sake of our planet, and for the sake of our children. If all comparable nations also refused to take action the effect would be to cripple the global movement to address this crisis.

Nevertheless, by putting implementation off until mid next year, Labor is giving time for fear and anger to fester. All those political, environmental, industrial and social movements that support the policy, need to mobilise immediately if the situation is to be saved. An information campaign involving all these movements needs to begin, even including advertisements and letter-boxing as surely as if the election were this year.