Nationals spread the word about the ETS

Warren Truss and Barnaby Joyce are on a mission to spread the truth about the ETS to regional New South Wales:

Motoring from Lismore to Maclean yesterday, Senator Joyce told the Herald the most common discovery thus far was ''people hate the ETS, they hate it with a passion''. ''Now they understand it, they don't like it.''

The Nationals are set to split from the Liberals on climate change because they do not share Malcolm Turnbull's willingness to negotiate on Labor's emissions trading scheme. Separately last night, but also on the east coast, Greg Combet, the Assistant Minister for Climate Change, was reassuring concerned citizens in his electorate and home of Newcastle about the ETS.

In a sign the locals in this safe-Labor coal region are nervous, Mr Combet pointed out the average household power bill would rise by about $6 a week, for which low and middle income earners would be given substantial assistance.

Read it here.