The planвЂ™s architects say it can achieve its targets by reducing pollution and offering financial incentives to companies that cut carbon emissions. What difference does that make? The Direct Action plan shies away from putting a price on carbon and seeks to cut emissions by five per cent cut from 2000 levels by 2020. The biggest saving, $200 million, comes from halving the amount the Coalition plans to rebate consumers for installing solar panels and solar hot water systems.

The original plan was worth $3.2 billion, but just days before SaturdayвЂ™s election the Coalition reduced it to just under $2.9 billion. In the meantime, the Coalition has also reduced the amount of money it is spending on its Direct Action carbon reduction plan by more than $300 million. And with micro-parties likely to hold a substantial number of seats in the Senate, thereвЂ™s a big question mark over whether we will see the abolition of the carbon trading scheme or tax, and implementation of Direct Action. Both Labor and the Greens have indicated they will not support moves to dump the carbon pricing scheme, nor will they support the CoalitionвЂ™s Direct Action scheme to address climate change. However, the Abbott government has a big challenge getting this through the Senate. Abbott has already instructed his department to begin drawing up the legislation to dump the carbon pricing scheme, and says Federal Parliament will resume in late October or early November to deal with it.

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