Paddy Pentony may not be a politician or top 500 polluter, but he was keeping an eye on the carbon tax vote yesterday morning, all the same.
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The owner of Canberra's Choku Bai Jo farmers' outlets is a self-confessed ''politics nerd'' and was tuned into Twitter when he heard the legislation had passed.
''I'm pro action on climate change,'' he said after the result. ''I come from a farming background, obviously the environment is pretty important to us.''
Mr Pentony's family run the organic farm Gleann na Meala near Hall and sell their vegetables - and other locally sourced produce - at Choku Bai Jo in Curtin and North Lyneham.
''I think it's bloody interesting,'' he said of the carbon tax debate to date. ''I think both sides are misleading [us].''
Mr Pentony has already done some ''quick numbers'' for his business but doubted that it would be significantly out of pocket due to the new tax. ''I think it's been exaggerated by a lot of people,'' he said.
Choku Bai Jo was already low on emissions, as produce was grown organically (without petrochemicals) and then delivered direct to the Canberra shops or picked up locally in a fuel efficient, turbodiesel van.
The business will probably incur some costs from produce such as bananas and mangos that come from the Sydney markets, but Mr Pentony was not concerned.
''That's what has to happen, fortunately or unfortunately,'' he said.
Away from the farm and the outlets, Mr Pentony lives with his wife in Kaleen, where he doesn't expect the carbon tax to have much impact on his cost of living.
His power bill might go up, but he saw this as a good excuse to change his consumption habits. ''I think we are pretty lazy as it is.''
Yesterday afternoon, Peter O'Clery was out spraying his Homeleigh Grove olives at Hall.
He was was more sceptical about the pending carbon tax. He noted that a new tax usually meant more costs, but it was difficult to tell from the information provided so far.
''We just have no idea,'' he said.