Greens Leader Christine Milne said Palmer appeared to be having it both ways when it comes to pricing pollution.
“The fact is, we already have an emissions trading scheme,” she said.
"Palmer's proposal is extremely vague. I'm not sure if that is intentional or if he doesn't understand that we already have an emissions trading scheme.
"We need to clarify whether Palmer doesn't understand our current emissions trading scheme or whether he is delaying sincere action on global warming.”
The price on pollution that was already legislated was working and already linked to the European Union, according to Milne.
“It is the cheapest and most effective global warming policy we could have, and we should keep it,” she said.
“A cynical interpretation would be that Palmer wanted to push out any effective action until after the next election, because the Abbott government would not act to strengthen any scheme like Palmer's proposal would require.”
Meanwhile the Queensland Minister for Energy Mark McArdle said the Palmer United Party was putting upward pressure on electricity prices by its decision to retain the Renewable Energy Target.
“It’s pleasing to see Palmer finally decide to support the federal government and abolish the carbon tax, but keeping the Renewable Energy Target shows he doesn’t care about Queensland families,” McArdle said.
“The PUP owner produces plenty of hot air about the cost of living, but his pledge to block any changes to the Renewable Energy Target will continue to cost families money.
“The independent Queensland Competition Authority has calculated that in 2013 the RET cost Queensland residential consumers $168 million.
“That’s $83 a year that Queensland families would be better off if the RET was removed.
“The QCA also found the target cost Queensland business customers $304 million in 2013.
“Queensland PUP leader Alex Douglas said his party ‘resolutely pursues a better deal for Queenslanders’, but that clearly isn’t the case.
“If Douglas really cared about families he would call Palmer and demand that he stop costing them more money.”
