Black coal riches will hurt NSW

By Peter Martin

N ABUNDANCE of black coal will make NSW one of the hardest-hit states by the climate change plan. Treasury forecasts state production will be 3 per cent lower than it otherwise would have been by 2050.

The calculations show the lightly mined states of South Australia and Tasmania to be little affected, losing less than 1 per cent of state output and Victoria only mildly hit, losing 2.5 per cent.

Even iron ore and gas-rich Western Australia escapes more lightly than NSW, losing 2.75 per cent of state output.

lthough large by 2050, the differences between the states are tiny year by year. Officials who worked on the Treasury modelling said the annual impact on every state will be close to 0.1 per cent, which is the national impact.

Treasury has made what appears to be an assumption that there will soon be a global carbon price. But it has done no more than assume world leaders will keep to the "less-ambitious end" of the pledges they have already made. Treasury said it will take the world 16 months longer to reach the combined income it would had by 2050.

"The changes to the Australian economy from pricing carbon are small by historical standards and small compared to the changes we are already seeing in our economy as it adjusts to accommodate the pressures of mining boom mark two," the document says.

"Gross national income has risen more than 30 per cent over the past seven years. In contrast, pricing carbon will only slightly slow growth in Australian income per person, so it is about half a percentage point below where it would have otherwise been in 2020."

Consumer prices will rise 0.7 per cent in 2012-13, much less than the 2.5 per cent increase that followed the introduction of the GST.

The Treasurer, Wayne Swan, said the modellers were the most professional in the business, the same people who had correctly forecast the effect of the Coalition's GST. Prices will rise by a further further 0.2 per cent on the transition to a emissions trading system in 2015-16.

Combined, the impact on average household spending will amount to $13.40 per week, much of it from a $4.20 increase in the price of electricity. The average food bill will climb $1.10 per week.

Employment will grow by about 1.6 million people by 2020 and a further 4.4 million by 2050 with or without a carbon tax. The Treasury forecasts assume a carbon price of $20 per tonne, somewhat lower than the $23 price the government adopted.

A separate set of forecasts based on a $30 per tonne price produces similar results. The forecasts take no account of the economic benefits of reducing global emissions.

The net cost to the budget is relatively small - $3.8 billion over four years. Adjustments to the timing of payments ensures the cost will be $475 million in 2012-13, the year the government plans to return the budget to surplus.

(By SMH)