Opposition Leader took his anti-carbon tax crusade from the nation's mine sites and agricultural markets to the heart of Brisbane city in front of a 100-strong crowd at a forum organised by The Courier-Mail and Sky News.
Ramming home his message that the government had an "honesty problem", Mr Abbott told Brisbane voters the carbon tax was counterproductive and unnecessary.
"If the package is as good as the Prime Minister is telling us, it really should have gone to a vote," he said.
But while Mr Abbott tried to sell his $3.2bn direct-action plan to voters, he was repeatedly questioned over his stance on renewable energy funding and claims the coal industry would be harmed.
Former teacher Vicki Monaghan, 51, asked why Mr Abbott was "scaremongering" about the future of jobs in the coal industry.
Mr Abbott replied: "Well, what do you think about Bob Brown, he says he wants to phase out coal", before saying the emissions trading scheme would vastly reduce the output of coal companies.
IT consultant Adam Champion, 29, challenged Mr Abbott on which experts he would listen to, after he "bagged climate scientists and bagged economists".
Mr Abbott said he listened to the public.
"I don't accept this line that the people are incapable of making an intelligent and informed judgment," he said.
But Mr Abbott also faced questioning over the details of how he would be able to rescind the carbon tax under his government with a hostile Senate.
But support for the tax also rose from 25 per cent to 32.1 per cent, while the undecided vote fell from 38.4 per cent to 16.5 per cent.
The Opposition Leader hammered Julia Gillard for breaking her pre-election promise not to introduce a carbon tax.
But he insisted his own "direct action" policy would meet the same targets.
"I don't think we can ... protect our environment by trashing our economy," he said.
"We've got to do this in a sensible way, not a destructive way."
Members of the audience asked how much his alternative policy would cost, how it would save jobs and whether it would promote green energy.
Mr Abbott described himself as a "conservationist" who wanted to take precautions against climate change.
He said his plans built on existing activities including tree planting and storing carbon in soil.
He vowed the cost would not rise above $3.2 billion. Mr Abbott said the carbon tax was already hurting the Australian economy and could spark a drop in the Australian dollar.
"The strength of the currency is a sign of the strength of the economy," he said. There was now "a government-induced climate of uncertainty and anxiety", he said.
The tax would create a "sovereign risk" and cause foreign investors to shun Australia, he said.
Mr Abbott predicted Labor would drop its support for the carbon tax if it lost the election.
He said he would be prepared to go to a double dissolution election if he could not get the changes through both Houses of Parliament but he
left open the option of changing his policy in the future.
"If the whole world changes, obviously we will too," he said.
But he said that was highly unlikely to happen. "There is no way on God's Earth the Chinese and Indians would do it because it would destroy their economy," he said.
The call by some to reduce the use of thermal coal (steam coal) that is mostly burnt for power generation and adds to the greenhouse effect is valid for western countries who may allocate resources and funds to alternative and more greener sources of power. Coal Terminals and additional infrastructure are required in the coal supply chain. Coal reports and coal statistics show developing economies are more likely to increase their investment into & their use of thermal coal & metallurgical coal in coming years because of its affordability and to meet increasing demands for electricity and steel. Ian www.coalportal.com
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