Council denies Liberal carbon tax claim

The Liberal candidate for Robertson Ms Lucy Wicks has claimed that Gosford Council will have to pay $600,000 for carbon emissions from the Woy Woy tip.

At $23 a tonne, this would represent emissions of the equivalent of 26,087 tonnes of CO2.

However, Gosford Council has denied that it will have to pay any carbon tax in the coming financial year.

The council's carbon and emissions manager Mr Dan Waters suggested that the tip did not currently exceed the 25,000 tonne threshold.

He confirmed the council was listed on the Liable Entities Public Information Database "due to projections relating to the likelihood of the Woy Woy landfill exceeding the emissions threshold set by the Federal Government".

It is understood that, even if the council did exceed the threshold, it would not have to pay for emissions from waste that was at the tip prior to July 1.

A charge would only be made on waste dumped after July 1.

Mr Waters said Gosford Council would not have to buy any carbon permits in 2012-13.

He said around half the methane generated in the landfill cells at Woy Woy was captured for recycling.

The council was in the process of investigating improvements to this, he said.

He said the council was also implementing a Climate Change Mitigation Strategy which would identify energy efficient improvements on many Council facilities and a Carbon Management System was being created to allow Council to better monitor .emissions.

Ms Wicks claimed Gosford Council had been declared a "big polluter" and would be directly liable to pay at least an extra $600,000 in carbon tax.

"Central Coast residents will be stunned to learn they have now been tagged as so-called big polluters for breaching the 25,000 tonne CO2 threshold," said Ms Wicks.

"Gosford has been hit, despite having invested in a methane capture project which is generating electricity for local residents.

"The carbon tax is now penalising councils who have done the right thing in trying to reduce their emissions.

"Impacts on local residents will be significant as Gosford Council now has to pay $23 a tonne for its emissions.

"This new carbon tax liability doesn't even include the extra cost Council will face from their general operations such as rising electricity prices for street lighting, sporting ground and community facilities.

"This decision reflects the confusion and chaos surrounding this whole new big tax.

"The only certainty here is that the prices will go up and continue to go up to pay for the tax," she said.

Media Release, 29 Jul 2012

Aaron Henry, Liberal Party of Australia

Media Release, 1 Aug 2012

Dan Waters, Gosford Council