'Carbon tax by stealth': Coal companies express concern over PM's climate change policy

Major coal companies say the Prime Minister's newly minted climate change policy is, in effect, a "carbon tax by stealth", according to Sky News host Sharri Markson. “Greens leader Adam Bandt says that under the deal he struck with Labor, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen now has special powers and calls them a 'pollution trigger', Ms Markson said. “This would give Chris Bowen the power to stop fossil fuel expansion if it would lift pollution above legislated targets.” She said this could mean coal exports would be stopped if emissions have reached a certain level. "Coal companies – Whitehaven, New Hope, Bowen Coking Coal and Peabody Australia – say that Labor's concessions to the Greens will increase energy prices, destroy jobs and kill foreign investment."