Carbon Trading Scheme: Carbon Tax Opposition Grows: Newspoll

There is growing opposition to the carbon tax after the House of Representatives passed bills for the scheme, a Newspoll has found.

Opposition to the tax has jumped six percentage points to 59 per cent, the poll commissioned by The Australianhas found.

Support for the tax has fallen four points to 32 per cent.

But it's not all bad news for Labor, with the poll showing there was a four-point drop in the Coalition's primary vote to 45 per cent, the lowest since May this year.

The Greens climbed back to a record 15 per cent primary vote support, rising three points.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard's personal satisfaction with voters rose three percentage points to 31 per cent.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's rating was down from 36 per cent to 34 per cent.

However, Mr Abbott still maintained the lead as preferred prime minister at 39 per cent compared with Ms Gillard's 36 per cent.

Newspoll chief Martin O'Shannessy said Labor's primary vote was stuck on 29 per cent, unchanged from two weeks ago while the Coalition's loss of support had mostly gone to the Greens.

Ms Gillard might take heart from the improvement in her approval rating, he said.

But continuing opposition to the carbon tax made it hard to accept the government's view that the passage of its legislation through Parliament would improve Labor's position.

"We have been tracking this now for a while. Back in April-May it was 60, in July 59," Mr O'Shannessy told ABC Radio.

The latest Newspoll has opposition to the carbon tax still at 59 per cent.

Parliamentary secretary Kate Lundy believes commonsense will prevail on the carbon tax.

"This policy is embedded in good science," she told Sky News.

"I think the opposition is starting to be exposed in the lack of sincerity in their fear campaign."

People were starting to question the opposition's motivation, knowing it was about "dirty politics" not policy.

Opposition frontbencher George Brandis said the Coalition was "very, very happy" about the latest Newspoll.

"For the Labor Party to find comfort from the fact they're only 16 [percentage points] behind the Coalition on the primary vote ... just goes to show how desperate the Labor Party's situation has become," he said.

Senator Brandis rejected any suggestion the Coalition was playing politics over the carbon tax.

"We simply think it is a stupid idea and, by a majority to two to one, so do the Australian people."

Carbon Tax Opposition Grows: Newspoll

Carbon Trading Scheme: Qld Taxpayers Warned about Carbon Tax

Queensland taxpayers will pay the price for state-owned power generators being devalued by the federal carbon tax, a Senate committee has been warned.

A committee scrutinising the proposed federal tax sat in Brisbane on Monday, where Queensland Resources Council chief Michael Roche argued Australia should not adopt a tax ahead of its international competitors.

Carbon Trading Scheme: Qld Taxpayers Warned about Carbon Tax

Carbon Trading Scheme: Costs of Climate Tax 'Could Drive Farmers From the Land'

Carbon tax costs could push farmers off the land and raise the price of agricultural productivity, a Senate committee has been told.

Sitting in Brisbane, the Senate select committee on the scrutiny of new taxes heard that the Queensland government would forgo $1 billion in royalties in the coming decade because of the tax.

Carbon Trading Scheme: Costs of Climate Tax 'Could Drive Farmers From the Land'

Many Would Back Repealing Carbon Price

Half the country supports Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's stance that he would overturn the carbon pricing scheme should the coalition with the next election, a news survey shows.

The weekly online Essential Research survey released on Monday shows the prospect of a coalition election win remains clear cut, with only a minor increase in support for Labor recorded in the latest week.

Labor support among voters rose to 45 per cent from 44 per cent last week on a two-party preferred basis, compared with 55 per cent for the coalition, down from 56 per cent previously.

Fifty per cent of the 1053 respondents supported Mr Abbott's stance that he would repeal the carbon price legislation on winning power, while 36 per cent said they opposed such a move.

Emotional PM Defends Carbon Tax Plan

The Prime Minister Julia Gillard became emotional today during an address to the National Press Club, on the Government's carbon tax plan. Ms Gillard's voice wavered as she talked about her nature of being a shy, reserved school girl. But she was unwavering in her answer to what she thought of the reporting of her Government's carbon pricing plan.

Listen to Julia Defend her Carbon tax position regardless of how unpopular it is:

Julia Justifying her Unpopular Carbon Tax

Carbon Trading Scheme: Carbon trading has its risks including fraud, warn experts

CARBON trading experts say there is potential for fraud in the global market, but checks and balances are improving.

Under the government's carbon pricing plan announced on Sunday, more than half of the emissions abatement to 2020 will come from companies buying it from overseas, at an estimated cost of $3 billion, with the remainder coming from Australian carbon farming and other initiatives.

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