It’s over now but it has certainly left a lasting impact. The truth is, this industry will never be the same.
The “it” I am talking about is the carbon tax. The way organisations did business pre-carbon tax is very different to the way they do business today. Retail giant, Coles, is an excellent example of this.
Speaking at CCN Live 2014, Coles head of maintenance, energy and sustainability, Mark McKenzie, said the introduction of the tax radically changed the way they manage gas.
Hit with a multi-million dollar gas bill, McKenzie said they introduced a “rigorous gas containment strategy” that included basing tech staff performance on gas loss. It was actually incorporated into KPIs.
Not surprisingly, this led to a massive turnaround in attitude toward gas leaks that spread across the entire business.
Prior to the carbon tax, gas leaks were seen as “something that just happened” - a routine part of operations.
Not anymore. Now it’s everybody’s business. McKenzie said even the former managing director of Coles, Ian McLeod, began asking about gas leaks.
“The carbon tax was the catalyst for us to lockdown process in areas where there was no process before,” McKenzie said.
And that’s just part of the story. Similar stories are being repeated across a number of industries proving that when business is challenged, they will pick up the gauntlet every time and invariably succeed.
Sure the carbon tax wasn’t exactly welcomed by this industry, it was mostly seen as a cost burden and a barrier to business. But when confronted with the reality of a new tax, business adapted to the new environment and used it to introduce operational improvements.
The carbon tax is no longer with us but its influence remains. So many of the interviews I do today are marked by answers that are divided into pre-carbon tax and post-carbon tax replies.
Further proof that the carbon tax did make a difference. Are you basking in the afterglow of the carbon tax? Let me know at sandravandijk@yaffa.com.au.