I haven’t been all that enthusiastic about the Victorian Government, but there are some encouraging signs.
THE looming carbon tax will be used by the Baillieu government to justify scrapping a raft of state environmental programs as part of a push to end duplication between the Commonwealth and Victoria.
After handing down his second budget this week, Treasurer Kim Wells confirmed the establishment of a special cost-cutting team headed by Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Helen Silver — known as the ‘‘Better Services Implementation Taskforce’’.
This taskforce will be searching for areas of policy duplication it can stamp out.
If Tony Abbott is successful in repealing the carbon tax after the next election, I wonder if these green schemes are going to be reintroduced.
‘‘Any program which is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will go because they now see that as the federal government’s job,’’ Mr Wakeham said. ‘‘They are using this green tape duplication argument as an excuse to make massive cuts to existing programs.’’
I hope this greenie is right and the carbon tax is just an excuse. Otherwise, Premier Ted might bring them back.
