In the Australian city of coal and steel, Wollongong, the community protests afresh for the new carbon pollution tax. Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s pollution levy is met with hostile opposition here. Located 50 miles south of Sydney in New South Wales the city of Wollongong has a population of 300,000 people.
It also has millions of tonnes of coal. And it is the mining industry and the black gold which have been the main source of jobs and prosperity for the communities in the region for more than 150 years. The locals are not happy with the thought of the carbon tax diminishing the industry.
Brett Withers has worked as an industrial cleaning contractor in the steelworks for 20 years. He said that it was all right for greenies to say this carbon tax has to happen, but we can't all hug trees for a living. He added that it might just be the straw that breaks the camel's back. If the tax comes in, this area will be devastated. It's not just the steel industry - it's the butcher, the hairdresser and the baker. Everyone will suffer.
The backlash against the government’s pollution tax could not be summed up better. The level of tax that is to be levied will be announced by the Prime Minister on July 10, 2011. And as per opinion polls she is not a popular woman right now. It seems just one in four Australian is likely to vote for her in the next elections. However the carbon tax is more than likely to be implemented as planned if she can just get the Greens to support the legistlature.