Green getting easier for Clive

FOR a man who had plans to ­become a major coal exporter and whose business interests ­include Australia’s most emissions-intensive nickel refinery, Clive Palmer is looking increasingly like the Greens’ most unlikely new best friend.

While everyone’s best guess is the carbon tax will be repealed next week with Palmer United Party senators’ support, Palmer and his PUPs yesterday inflicted an embarrassing defeat on the government.

The defeat was in the name of making sure consumers received the full savings from the repeal of the carbon tax and arose over a dispute about an amendment to achieve this. The government will go along with the amendment, to the ­increasing anxiety of the business community.

But since Palmer’s appearance with former US vice-president Al Gore two weeks ago, the top PUP has gone about saving the furniture of the Labor-Greens carbon pricing package enacted by Julia Gillard.

This from the man whose business interests took High Court action against the carbon tax and who delayed paying a $6m bill until the last minute.

Palmer the politician will now ensure the Climate Change Authority will stay, if he has his way, and an emissions trading scheme with a price of zero will be attached to the legislation to be cranked into action when the rest of Australia’s major trading partners take similar action.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the “green bank’’ in the Gillard carbon pricing package, will remain and continue to operate if Palmer has his way.

And this week Palmer declared the Australian Renewable Energy Agency will also remain, despite government plans to scrap it and incorporate it into the Industry Department. He has also ruled out any changes to the Renewable Energy Target before 2016.

Yesterday, Palmer, with former Liberal leader John Hewson, helped The Australia Institute, an environmentally conscious think tank, launch a report on the RET that challenges arguments it is driving up electricity prices and argues it can play an important part in keeping electricity prices down.

This is a view flatly contracted by modelling for the Business Council of Australia released yesterday.

In recent weeks, there has been much talk about the role played by Ben Oquist, a former chief of staff to Greens leaders Bob Brown and Christine Milne who is now the strategy director at the Australia Institute.

Oquist has been supplying Senate procedural advice to Palmer and his senators, but he says The Australia Institute “is happy to give policy and procedural advice to any side’’.

“We hope it is useful, but it is clear that Palmer and the PUP senators have their own policy and political agenda and are making decisions accordingly.’’

Asked about the impact his advice was having, he replied: “You would have to ask them, but clearly not much when comes to … carbon tax.’’ Palmer and his PUP will most likely vote to scrap the tax next week, but it its clear Palmer is changing his mind on climate policy.