Polluters want good deal from Howard

March 26, 2007
From Sydney Morning Herald

AUSTRALIA'S super-polluters want to be rewarded for their existing greenhouse gas emissions at the start of any carbon trading regime.

The country's biggest polluting companies have all accepted that an Australian emissions trading regime is inevitable.

But many, including Qantas, Alumina Ltd and Rio Tinto, say they should be excused from incurring any costs when the regime begins.

Many of the biggest polluters, including Qantas and Alumina Ltd, are represented on the Prime Minister's task group on emissions trading - which will report on May 31 on how it thinks an emissions scheme should be designed.

Qantas said in its submission to the task group: "A workable emissions trading scheme must … grant credits firstly to emitters at no cost."

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