Julia Gillard’s ‘Climate Change’ Policy, announced a few hours ago at Brisbane’s University of Queensland, is a flop.

The bones of the policy are this (as reported by the Courier Mail just now);

“ABOUT 150 ordinary Australians would be randomly chosen to develop the nation's response to climate change under a re-elected Gillard Government.

Julia Gillard will today pledge to set up a Citizens' Assembly to spend 12 months examining the evidence on climate change, the case for action and the consequences of putting a price on emissions.

In an important development designed to give business certainty over future investment decisions, big pollutors would be encouraged to start cutting their emissions now.

About 150 community representatives from a range of ages and backgrounds would be randomly chosen to take part in the panel which appears similar to Mr Rudd's 2020 summit talkfest, where he invited movers and shakers from across the nation to discuss ideas for the future.”

Where’s the direct action? Around the edges there’s money to put renewable energy into the grid, but the bones of the policy is another ‘assembly’.

Last time we checked the assembly of the people, called Parliament, rejected Labor’s proposal for ‘Climate Change’, an ETS.

If the Prime Minister was so certain her clever ideas on ‘Climate Change’ were so right, why didn’t she call a double dissolution election so that she could have both Houses sit after August 21 to pass the ETS?

An assembly won’t reach consensus, unless its members are carefully selected. And even if they represent a broad cross section of the community, wouldn’t one think it rather undemocratic that an assembly decide whether or not ‘Climate Change’ is real and whether or not carbon should be taxed? Isn’t this the reason we elect a Parliament?

It’s another tricky policy that will be viewed cynically by the electorate. ‘Climate Change’ can only really affect the outcome of the election for the ALP in a few seats. Sure it runs the risk of losing some marginals to the Greens, but it’s unlikely. I don’t accept ‘Climate Change’ is as big an issue this time as it was last time. The economic cycle has shifted people’s attention to mere survival rather than saving the planet.

Looking at the tweets by Journalists who were at the event this morning, I would have to say most people were unimpressed with the idea of another ‘assembly’. (Follow me on twitter).

My bet is this, Cate Blanchet will be asked to go on the panel of ‘experts’. I doubt Darryl Sommers will get a guernsey though :(.