Central Queensland carbon capital
CENTRAL Queensland has been dubbed the carbon capital of Australia following the release of a list of Australian companies that will be forced to pay the carbon tax from July 1.
The list released yesterday by the Clean Energy Regulator is of 249 organisations that it expects will be responsible for more than 70% of carbon emissions next financial year.
Some Central Queensland companies on the list include Stanwell Corporation and Gladstone Regional Council.
Federal Member for Flynn Ken O'Dowd said it was a sad day for central Queensland, a sad day for business and a sad day for employees whose jobs will be under threat by the tax that Julia Gillard lied about introducing.
"It comes as no surprise to me that this region is one of the carbon capitals of Australia," he said.
Gladstone Regional Council finance director Mark Holmes, who was not surprised the council was on the list, said council had been listed because of its Benaraby landfill.
He said the argument was that landfills emit carbon at a reducing rate every year of its life.
Mr Holmes said council was still determining the full impacts of the carbon tax on council budgets.
"We've got a rough idea of what that might be," he said.
"The liability for us to pay (at this stage) won't be until next year. We are under (the threshold) this year.
"I would have thought Rocky would be on the list."
Rockhampton Regional Council commercial services general manager Bob Holmes said there had been no indication the Lakes Creek Road landfill's closure date of December 13, 2013, would exempt the landfill from the tax.
"At this stage, Rockhampton Regional Council anticipate it will be liable for the carbon tax for the Lakes Creek Road landfill as it is above the threshold," he said.
A Stanwell Corporation spokesman, which has a number of coal burning power stations in the state including Stanwell, said the news had been anticipated.
"It will have a financial impact on Stanwell Corporation," he said. "But it will not close any of our power stations or lead to any redundancies. It will, however, have an impact on our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders."
He said it too early to say what impact the tax would have on electricity prices for industrial and domestic consumers.
"We already have a couple of carbon capture programs and we will focus more strongly on those and greater use of new technologies."
A secondary tier list is expected to be released later this year, with landfills and companies emitting less carbon expected to make up the majority of that list.
These companies will initially all be charged $23 for every tonne of carbon emissions they produce between July 1 and June 30 next year.
Mr O'Dowd said these companies were already struggling under the weight of a high Australian Dollar, reduced demand and rising energy costs.
"Unlike the GST the impact of this tax is uncertain," he said.
CQ Carbon companies
- Anglo Coal operations
- Arrow Energy
- BGC
- Gladstone Regional Council
- IG Power (Callide)
- Isaac Plains Mining
- Jellinbah Coal
- NRG Gladstone
- ORICA
- Queensland Gas Company
- Queensland Alumina
- Queensland Nickel
- Queensland Nitrates
- Rio Tinto Aluminium
- RTA Yarwun
- Santos
- Stanwell Power Corporation
- Wesfarmers Curragh Mine
- Xstrata Coal
