By Gareth Hutchens and Latika Bourke
14 October 2014 — 12:12pm
UPDATE: Hockey denies Australia one of the dirtiest emitters
Joe Hockey, currently on a tour of the US and the UK, has rejected claims Australia is "one of the dirtiest most greenhouse gas-emitting countries in OECD". Credit:AP
He also laughed at the suggestion that Australia was "one of the dirtiest most greenhouse gas-emitting countries in OECD group of developed countries".
"The comment you just made is absolutely ridiculous," Mr Hockey told Sackur.
"Australia's per capita greenhouse gas emissions are the highest of any OECD country and are among the highest in the world," the review says.
"Australia's per capita emissions are nearly twice the OECD average and more than four times the world average."
When asked on the BBC program, which will air in full on BBC World News on Tuesday evening, about China's surprise decision last week to introduce 3 per cent and 6 per cent tariffs on coal imports, Mr Hockey said Australia had no political problem with China at the moment.
But he would not say if negotiations with China on a free trade agreement would end if there was no agreement by the end of this year.
Mr Hockey also avoided explicitly backing the democracy movement in Hong Kong, saying only that it was "fair comment" that the Chinese must let genuine democracy reign there.
At a different event, Mr Hockey told an audience at the Institute of Economic Affairs that the Reserve Bank has only a "limited capacity" to stimulate economic growth.
He also said sustained low interest rates had seen wealthier Australians who own assets become wealthier.
Reviving his infamous Age of Entitlement speech, which he gave to the same organisation in 2012, Mr Hockey said the crux of his speech - that governments cannot keep borrowing money from future citizens to pay for today's entitlements - "remains a self-evident truth".
But he said it requires "difficult and consistent decision making" and "a fair measure of bipartisan support".
Mr Hockey has been strongly criticised in recent days for suggesting Labor leader Bill Shorten should commit to backing stalled separate budget measures to help pay for the Iraq mission, if Labor is "honest" about its bipartisan support.
But Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to endorse his Treasurer's call and instead described opposition leader Bill Shorten as a "patriot".
By Gareth Hutchens and Latika Bourke
14 October 2014 — 12:12pm
UPDATE: Hockey denies Australia one of the dirtiest emitters
Joe Hockey, currently on a tour of the US and the UK, has rejected claims Australia is "one of the dirtiest most greenhouse gas-emitting countries in OECD". Credit:AP
He also laughed at the suggestion that Australia was "one of the dirtiest most greenhouse gas-emitting countries in OECD group of developed countries".
"The comment you just made is absolutely ridiculous," Mr Hockey told Sackur.
"Australia's per capita greenhouse gas emissions are the highest of any OECD country and are among the highest in the world," the review says.
"Australia's per capita emissions are nearly twice the OECD average and more than four times the world average."
When asked on the BBC program, which will air in full on BBC World News on Tuesday evening, about China's surprise decision last week to introduce 3 per cent and 6 per cent tariffs on coal imports, Mr Hockey said Australia had no political problem with China at the moment.
But he would not say if negotiations with China on a free trade agreement would end if there was no agreement by the end of this year.
Mr Hockey al
so avoided explicitly backing the democracy movement in Hong Kong, saying only that it was "fair comment" that the Chinese must let genuine democracy reign there.
At a different event, Mr Hockey told an audience at the Institute of Economic Affairs that the Reserve Bank has only a "limited capacity" to stimulate economic growth.
He also said sustained low interest rates had seen wealthier Australians who own assets become wealthier.
Reviving his infamous Age of Entitlement speech, which he gave to the same organisation in 2012, Mr Hockey said the crux of his speech - that governments cannot keep borrowing money from future citizens to pay for today's entitlements - "remains a self-evident truth".
But he said it requires "difficult and consistent decision making" and "a fair measure of bipartisan support".
Mr Hockey has been strongly criticised in recent days for suggesting Labor leader Bill Shorten should commit to backing stalled separate budget measures to help pay for the Iraq mission, if Labor is "honest" about its bipartisan support.
But Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to endorse his Treasurer's call and instead described opposition leader Bill Shorten as a "patriot".