The Prime Minister's silly little collateral debate about a carbon tax enters its fourth week

IT wasn't a tax, then it was, but Julia Gillard continues her crusade to save the planet with her scheme.

Julia Gillard on ABC1's 7.30, February 24:

Host: With this carbon tax -- you do concede it's a carbon tax, do you not?

PM: Oh, look, I'm happy to use the word tax, Heather. I understand some silly little collateral debate has broken out today. I mean, how ridiculous. This is a market-based mechanism to price carbon. It's . . .

Host: With this carbon tax, then, it does seem certain that fuel and electricity prices will go up.

PM: Well, can I say this is a market-based mechanism to price carbon. It has a fixed price period at the start, a price that will be fixed. That is, effectively, a tax, and I'm happy to say the word tax.

On Neil Mitchell, 3AW, February 25:

Host: Do you accept, August last year, the eve of the election, you lied to the voters when you said "There will be no carbon tax under the Government I lead."Is that a lie?

PM: I went to the last election, Neil, saying that I believed climate change was real, that it was caused by humans, and that we had to price carbon. What I announced yesterday was a market mechanism to price carbon. It's going to have a fixed price for the first few years. Now, there was going to be this silly semantic debate break out about whether or not that was effectively like a tax, and I'm happy to say for the first few years with a fixed price, it's effectively like a tax, but Neil, this is the right thing to do.

Host: So why did you tell us there'd be no carbon tax, and there now is?

PM: Well, Neil, we're getting involved in some word games here-

Host: -No, we're involved in an issue of integrity, Prime Minister

On Laurie Oakes, February 27:

LABOR has gone to two elections, 2007 and 2010-

HOST: -Not promising a carbon tax.

Gillard's Don Dunstan address in Adelaide on Wednesday:

And friends, let's set the record straight about the 2010 election. Yes I did promise that there would be no carbon tax. The Government's plan means we start with a fixed carbon price for a temporary transitional period a plan that puts a price on carbon from day one. We will still have an emissions trading scheme but we will get there by a different route.

Barack Obama, San Francisco Chronicle, January 2008:

Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket because I'm capping greenhouse gases, whatever the industry was, they would have to retro-fit their operations, that will cost money, they will pass that money onto consumers.

Gaia to the right. Glen Beck on his Fox TV program on Monday:

I'm not saying God is causing earthquakes - well I'm not not saying that either! What God does is God's business. But I'll tell you this: whether you call it Gaia or whether you call it Jesus -- there's a message being sent.

Gaia to the left. Terra Sword in the Northern Rivers Echo March 3:

Get your gear off for Gaia. If you're feeling sad about the state of the planet with wars going on all over the globe and Earth's resources being destroyed, this weekend you can do something tangible and get your kit off for peace and sustainability. The Naked Bike Ride is happening in Nimbin again.

Who's making people angry? Barrie Cassidy on ABC online's The Drum:

The role of the "shock jocks" can be insidious in the US. In Australia, so many of them are just hopelessly uninformed. And while they essentially preach to the converted, they do make angry people even angrier.

Who's making the "shock jocks" angry? Ray Hadley on 2GB yesterday:

Another boat load of illegals has arrived. It's rarely mentioned these days. You'll find it mentioned in The Australian newspaper, that's about the only way you find out about it these days. Other mainstream media, including TV, radio and other newspapers seem to ignore it. Thank God for The Australian.