Tag Archives: Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme

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Australian conservatives elect social conservative as new leader of opposition party

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Story here from LifeSiteNews. (H/T Thoughts Out Loud)

Excerpt:

Tony Abbott, the former federal minister for health and a pro-life Catholic, has won the leadership of the opposition Liberal Party of Australia, putting him in line for possible leadership of the country in Australia’s next general election.

The Federal Member for Warringah and shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, was voted in at the party’s Dec 1st leadership convention, beating the incumbent Malcolm Turnbull by a single vote. The vote makes Tony Abbott the first social conservative to lead the Liberal party since the resignation of John Howard.

Abbott is known for his outspokenness on life issues.

[…]In 2006, as health minister, Abbott refused to allow the abortion drug RU486 to be made available in Australia, arguing that it was more dangerous to women than surgical abortion. This led to a conscience vote in which the House of Representatives deprived the health minister of regulatory control of the drug.

[…]Abbott has also opposed the use of embryonic stem cells and cloning in health research in another conscience vote, preferring continued use of adult stem cells. In family law, Abbott proposed a return to at-fault divorce to reduce the divorce rate, a system that required spouses to prove offences like adultery, habitual drunkenness or cruelty before a divorce was granted.

[…]In comments after this week’s leadership race, Abbott also blasted the current Rudd government’s climate change legislation, a key issue for parliament in the coming weeks, denouncing it as a tax grab.

The article talks more about some of his positions and accomplishments. Does this guy ever sound awesome! Would my readers from Australia, New Zealand, India and the Phillipines please comment on Abbott? It seems to me like Australian conservatives have selected the equivalent of Michele Bachmann or Maurice Vellacott or Edward Leigh to head their party. Wow!

By the way, in Australia, the conservative party are called the Liberal party, and they usually form a coalition with the National party. The secular leftists are the Labor party and the Green party. The leftists are currently in power.

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Fight for leadership of Australia’s center-right Liberal party

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Story from Fox News. (H/T Thoughts Out Loud)

Excerpt:

Australia’s opposition Liberal Party will vote Tuesday on whether to dump its leader who has lost the confidence of much of the party for backing a government climate change policy.

The conservative Liberals have been in meltdown for the past week over the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) legislation drafted by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s center-left Labor government, The Australian reported.

Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull has enthusiastically backed Labor’s proposed CPRS after the government agreed to a series of amendments that would make it friendlier to business.

The legislation includes an emissions trading scheme that would put a price on carbon emissions, a move critics say would unnecessarily hamper the Australian economy.

His position alienated the more conservative Right faction, leading to a week of blood-letting that will culminate Tuesday in a leadership vote.

The key figures in the drama remained locked in meetings Monday, with Members of Parliament (MPs) who have sought to terminate Turnbull’s leadership pressing opposition Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey to take over.

Hockey doesn’t sound that great either, but he would be a step up from Turnbull.