Alan Moran, director of the deregulation unit at the Institute of Public Affairs, came across a Labor strategy paper on the carbon tax.

He claims it contains many inaccuracies, which we discuss in this edition of BTalk, including these top line “facts”:

1. Climate change is real
2. Taking action is the right thing to do
3. We want the top 1,000 biggest polluting companies to pay for what they produce
4. A carbon price will provide incentives for the big polluters to reduce their carbon price
5. Australia is the worst per head carbon emitter in the developed world
6. Other countries are taking action, even China and India. Australia must make a start or our economy will be left behind
7. We will protect existing jobs while creating new clean energy jobs
8. Every cent raised by the carbon price will go to households, protecting jobs in businesses in transition and investment in climate change programs
9. There will be generous assistance to households, families and pensioners (tax cuts are a live option)

The government seems to be doing a bad job of selling many of its major policies. If this is an example of how they brief their politicians, it’s easy to see why. You can form your own views on whether climate change is real or not, but some of the claims here (like Australia being the worst emitter per capita) are just plain wrong.

First published on CBS News