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Carbon price or tax - what's in a word?

Georgia Waters
July 11, 2011
A word cloud representing commonly used words in Prime Minister Julia Gillard's carbon tax speech.

A word cloud representing commonly used words in Prime Minister Julia Gillard's carbon tax speech.

When it comes to political speeches often it's not what you say, it's the words you use to say it.

Last night, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott both gave nationally televised addresses to sell their views on the carbon plan.

And a quick scan of the words they chose to use - or not to use - shows how each of them tried to frame the issue according to their views.

A word cloud representing commonly used words in Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's carbon tax reply speech.

A word cloud representing commonly used words in Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's carbon tax reply speech.

Gillard won't employ the most commonly used phrase to describe her plan - 'carbon tax' - preferring to dub it a carbon 'price' (a Google search for carbon tax pulls up more than 10 million hits, while carbon price draws little more than 1 million).

Abbott, on the other hand, must think 'carbon tax' sounds much less palatable to the public. He hammered the words in his speech, repeating them 12 times. The word 'tax' he used more than any other, a total of 16 times.

Gillard also mentioned the word 'tax' - but only three times and always followed by the magic word: 'cut'.

And the Prime Minister kept repeating the word 'pollution' - she said it eight times, while Abbott decided to go with the term 'emissions', repeating it five times and not mentioning 'pollution' once.

How many times Prime Minister Julia Gillard used the following words:

  • Carbon price: 6
  • Carbon tax: 0
  • Tax cut: 3
  • Pollution: 8
  • Emissions: 0

How many times Opposition Leader Tony Abbott used the following words:

  • Carbon price: 0
  • Carbon tax: 12
  • Tax cut: 0
  • Pollution: 0
  • Emissions: 5

11 comments so far

  • If you checked Bob Brown's speech, there'll be lots more 'children' and 'grandchildren' - which is really what we are wanting the clean environment for.... Pity our main politicians are so wrapped up with short term gains for their policies.
    No one else seems to have that visionary zeal and drive that we love politicians for. They are all self-snookered with their party machineries and it's requirements. Hence we need more Independants who can be relied upon to voice people's concerns.

    Commenter
    opodu
    Location
    darwin
    Date and time
    July 11, 2011, 12:22PM

  • the sideshow goes on

    Commenter
    Chris
    Location
    Inala
    Date and time
    July 11, 2011, 12:30PM

  • @ opodu... we need more Independants ...are you smoking some of that green stuff that bobby boy likes so much?
    you really have to be off your head if you think we need more Independants
    Christ the ones we've got now are bloody useless, we DON'T need any more thanks

    Commenter
    Brian Taylor
    Location
    Kilcoy
    Date and time
    July 11, 2011, 12:52PM

  • It is stupid FM radio/tabloid analysis that trivialise the whole dabete. Whatever words the politicians choose to us it is all about only one word FUTURE. It is a battle between the science and the troglodytes. It is hard hard decisions (even if imperfect) and a magic pudden approach that tickles the ears of the gullible. When Tony Abbott actually says something that is not a criticism of what others are doing and sets out what he would do he will deserve to be lisyened to. In the meantime slogans and stunts may win political points, but they wont address climate change. It would be interesting to hear what Malcolm Turnbull actually thinks about the Government scheme. At leat he has established credibility on climate change.

    Commenter
    Lennie Guilbeaux
    Location
    Brisbane
    Date and time
    July 11, 2011, 2:10PM

  • Come on, if it looks like a tax, smells like a tax, and talks like a tax, then it is a tax.

    Commenter
    Ozbob
    Location
    Congestion Capital
    Date and time
    July 11, 2011, 2:14PM

  • its very interesting to compare these word clouds. thanks

    Commenter
    hans
    Location
    brisbane
    Date and time
    July 11, 2011, 4:53PM

  • strange i can't see the word 'package' in Gillard's word cloud. She said package about 20 times

    Commenter
    hans
    Location
    brisbane
    Date and time
    July 11, 2011, 4:56PM

  • Let's be honest here Julia. Just stop saying price and follow Tony's lead and call it the tax. By nature, it is meant to hurt and therefore it shouldn't be wrapped in semantic cotton wool

    Commenter
    Kathrine
    Date and time
    July 11, 2011, 8:07PM

  • I don't know why people keep calling it a Carbon Tax...it is not a tax..it is simply putting a price on Carbon, just like putting a price on Oil, Coal, and the other commodities...The reason why we putting a price on Carbon is because now polluters can put away carbon as they like cos it is free. I don't get why people saying it smells, sounds like a tax? My understanding is tax is Government taking money from its people to then put back for infrastructure etc. Correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is putting a price on Carbon is simply like selling spectrum of signal to a telco company. Then if telco company decides to pass the cost down to its customer at a profit, that is their own decision, but we won't call the charges to the spectrum a tax won't we.????

    Commenter
    Richard
    Location
    Brisbane
    Date and time
    July 11, 2011, 11:12PM

  • Maybe I am stupid, but I still cannot see the connection between paying money at the one end, causing a reduction in CO2 at the other. Is this going to go the same way as the fuel levy - used in every way but not on the roads?

    Commenter
    C Alan
    Location
    Brisbane
    Date and time
    July 12, 2011, 8:16AM

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