Today marks one year since Julia Gillard promised that “there will be no carbon tax under the government that I lead”. While she and Swan both said similar things four times, this is the one that stuck in our minds. She got up on channel ten and assured us that we would be safe from such a scheme.
I didn’t see her make this promise live (but have seen it a million times since), but I did feel after this that, no matter who wins the election, we’re not going to get a stinkin’ carbon tax, at least until 2013. It wouldn’t have had me voting Labor (if I was 18 yet), but there are those who did under this pretense.
Given the tightness of the result, it is the only reason she retained power. Therefore, she had a duty to uphold her word. She did not. She had lied to us, and brought in the tax anyway. And she is now paying for it. In the polls, she and her party are suffering a slow death and the Liberals are set for one of the biggest election wins of all time, so long they keep it clean for two years. It is simply a rejection of the tax and the lie which lead to it.
But, you can’t keep democracy down forever. Those who would thwart it will pay the price, and feel the wrath of the Australian people, when next we get the chance.
Climate Nonconformist 
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“There will be no carbon tax under a govt I lead” —– unless I need to do a backroom deal and then I will change my mind.
“I haven’t spoken to Bob Carr about the senate” —— unless I do a backroom deal and change my mind.
I feel embarassed that I am Australian – the rest of the world must think we are all liars.