CEOs to sit at carbon table Peter Martin

A WHO’S who of Australian business has signed on to the committee that will help steer Australia towards a carbon price.

Putting the dispute over the mining tax behind them, resources giants including BHP, Rio, Shell and Woodside have signed on to the 20-member advisory round table that will work with the Parliament’s multiparty committee to develop a carbon tax or emissions trading scheme.

Among the names to be announced by Treasurer Wayne Swan today are National Australia Bank boss Cameron Clyne, Qantas chief Alan Joyce, Woolworths head Michael Luscombe and Toyota Australia president Max Yasuda.

Advertisement: Story continues below Energy intensive firms AGL, Origin, BlueScope Steel, Woodside and Rio will be represented by their chief executives, with BHP and Shell represented by executives in charge of coking coal and natural gas production.

The terms of reference require the round table to ”focus on the importance of the introduction of a carbon price to supporting a sustainable economy, supporting jobs growth and safeguarding our environment”, rather than to debate whether a carbon price is needed.

While not every member should be regarded as supporting a carbon price, all have agreed to help the parliamentary committee work out the best way to introduce one.

Membership puts a company in the box seat to influence the design of the system Australia will adopt. Two of the government’s biggest critics over the mining tax, Xstrata and Fortescue, missed out on invitations.

A second round table will liaise between the multiparty committee and non-government organisations. It will include World Vision’s Tim Costello, scientist Tim Flannery, union leaders and economists