A carbon price is vital for the public good; complementary policies should protect low-income households
Anticipating the Australian Government’s announcement of a carbon tax, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) stated that, while it accepted the need to take action on climate change, it recommended caution about a carbon tax because it could exacerbate health inequalities.1 Some in the media inferred that the RACP’s primary concern was the potentially negative health impact of a carbon tax.2
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- 1. Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Leading medical college calls for climate change action: Government urged to consider health implications of disadvantaged. Sydney: RACP, 4 May 2011. http://www.racp.edu.au/index.cfm?objectid=D7FAA694-E371-4AB9-BE41B937879A52E1 (accessed Jul 2011).
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Anthony Capon resigned as chair of the RACP climate change working group on 18 May 2011.