Handing Climate Policy to Appointed Bureaucrats is Undemocratic and Ineffective

Responding to Labour’s promise to hand control over carbon pricing under the Emissions Trading Scheme to the Climate Change Commission, Taxpayers’ Union Deputy Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said:

“Handing control of carbon pricing away to faceless Wellington bureaucrats would strip away any democratic accountability over climate policy. A bloated, unaccountable crown entity should not have the power to effectively dictate prices for basic goods up and down the country on a whim.

"We would not accept the Ministry for Primary Industries dictating the milk price or the Minister for Transport setting the price of ubers, taxpayers should not be forced to face Muldoon-style interventions in a market that would function perfectly fine without heavy-handed government involvement.

"If anything, the problems with the current Emissions Trading Scheme arise from too much government involvement rather than not enough. Arbitrary minimum and maximum prices distort the market and decision making and prevent it from functioning effectively. With three failed carbon auctions this year alone, it should be clear to this Government that their meddling in the market is causing the system to fail. Rather than doubling down on failed policy, the Government must leave the ETS to work as intended.”