Following a meeting hosted by the Geelong Manufacturing Council on the status of the emissions trading scheme, several key Geelong region organisations participated in a delegation representing several regions of Australia, who held discussions with Federal politicians on issues surrounding emissions trading legislation on November 19. The delegation consisted of over 40 senior representatives from Central Queensland, Illawarra, Portland, Tasmania, Hunter Valley and Geelong regions.
 
The current draft CPRS puts the ongoing viability of the operations of several major businesses in the Geelong region at risk because it would impose significant costs on them that are not being imposed on their international competitors.  As G21 has noted previously, this could have the perverse effect of seeing Australia's reported emissions fall but global emissions rise as production moves to overseas locations without these costs. Under this scenario, there would be significant job losses in the region. Hence there would be overall negative impacts environmentally, economically and socially.
G21's position on the proposed CPRS is:

• G21 agrees that climate change is real and constitutes a major threat to our economy, environment and society
• G21 supports the rapid introduction of measures to significantly reduce the global level of greenhouse gas emissions
• G21 supports emissions trading as an effective and efficient mechanism for driving reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
• G21 requests that the current proposed scheme be modified to ensure that emissions intensive, trade exposed companies not be exposed to additional costs over and above those imposed on global competitors, because of the risk of significant job losses without achieving the target of global reductions in emissions.

The delegation met with senior members of the opposition with the message to ‘Amend and Pass’. The position put forward by the delegation was clear and consistent view, and was very well received.

The delegation also made the point that regions must be supported in responding to the legislation. It would have to involve investment from the Federal Government to support new careers in the region, and to allow replacement industries such as ICT and biotechnology to prosper.