At 9.24am on 12 October 2011, surrounded by chants of “democracy is dead”, a suite of 19 bills (the Clean Energy Bills or the Carbon Tax Bills) were passed in the Lower House of the Australian Parliament. It must be borne in mind that those 19 bills won’t become law until and unless the Senate gives them the tick of approval. Given that the Greens hold the balance of power in the Senate, it can be assumed that the Senate will not be an obstacle for those laws to pass. So, unless there is a change in Government, by July 2012, Australia will have a Carbon Tax. The Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet said that the Carbon Tax represents “one of the most important environmental and economic reforms in this nation’s history.” Following the passage of the Bills, the Prime Minister said “Today this House of Representatives moved from words to deeds. It has moved from what has sometimes been a rancorous debate to action. This House of Representatives today, this parliament today, has seized the future.”