Australia's carbon scheme risky, say Japanese

THE federal Government's proposed carbon trading scheme is a greater risk to business than the global financial crisis.

This is the view of senior executives in charge of one of Japan's biggest offshore capital investments.

While finance for Inpex Corporation's $20 billion development of the Ichthys gas field in the Browse Basin off Western Australia was not an issue because of the company's healthy balance sheet, the executives warned that the project's "sustainability" could be affected by the proposed carbon trading scheme.