Back Benches 4 June 2014
Backbenches announces:
THIS WEEK ON PRIME TV’s “BACK BENCHES”: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!
CARBON TAX vs. ETS: The Green Party has proposed replacing our ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme) with a carbon tax to better combat climate change. Instead of the ETS-all sectors would pay $25 (agriculture pays $12.50) per tonne on carbon emissions. While the new tax will see all of us paying more for petrol, food and electricity an accompanying tax cut would leave us, according to the Greens, $319 better off every year. Unless, of course, you’re a dairy farmer. Currently, farmers don’t have to pay for carbon credits despite being responsible for nearly half of our yearly emissions. National’s Climate Change Minister Tim Groser questions the Greens inclusion of our farmers, one of our largest export markets, into the scheme. Is it time to re-evaluate our ETS? Does the Green party have the answer? And will any of these programmes actually save the environment?
MMP: IS IT A RORT?: The Internet Mana Party alliance is the latest political deal, similar to the Government’s deal with United Future & ACT, that has some calling the MMP system a rort. Are they right? Are these smaller parties gaming the system in order to squeeze into Parliament when the ballot box would never, otherwise, get them there. Do we like MMP? Is it the best way to make sure all voices in Parliament are heard? Or is it too easy to game the system? Are deals like these dirty deals? Or just the way it is? Do they turn the average punter off voting? Do we need to get rid of the “coat-tail” rule? Or change the threshold?
There are two ways to get in on the political pub action:
First, you can join the live audience in Wellington’s iconic Backbencher Pub on Wednesday, 4th of June at 6pm. Filming begins around 6:15pm.
Or watch us that night on PRIME TV at 10:30pm!
Plus, Follow us on Facebook (BackBenchesTV) or on Twitter @BackBenchesTV.
Our Panel: Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter, Labour MP Andrew Little, and National MP Paul Foster-Bell.