Sir Humphrey & The Garnaut Enquiry

The objections and issues about soil C trading raised with the Garnaut Enquiry during its preliminary meetings with public servants reveal a pattern of perception management identified in the Yes Prime Minister series as a technique to ‘guide’ the outcome of deliberations. The Carbon Coalition submits that the Enquiry should be wary of being “Sir Humphreyed”:

SIR HUMPHREY:

"Ministers will generally accept proposals which contain the words simple, quick, popular and cheap. 



"Ministers will generally throw out proposals which contain the words complicated, lengthy, expensive and controversial.

“Above all, if you wish to describe a proposal in a way that guarantees that a Minister will reject it, describe it as courageous."

EXTRACTS FROM ISSUES PAPER 1 CLIMATE CHANGE: LAND USE AGRICULTURE & FORESTRY

“…a number of potential practical difficulties to the inclusion of agriculture..”

“…difficult to guarantee given the complexity…”

“…diverse range of locations, climates…”

“…processes that are inherently variable…”

“…difficulties associated with monitoring…”

“…may add complexity to the design…”

“…difficult to apply traditional regulatory measures…”

“…involve initial investment while the benefits may be realised over a longer period of time…”

“…existing practical limitations…”

“…limited and/or administratively burdensome…”

“…the costs of accurately monitoring and verifying emissions at entity level is likely to be high relative to the level of emissions…”

“…may lead to errors in emissions calculations if the relationship … is uncertain …”

“… the high level of variation that can occur…”

“…research has suggested that models… complex, technically demanding, time consuming…”

“…do not produce results accurate enough…”

“…require an initial upfront investment…”