Cate Blanchett defends tax stand

Actor Cate Blanchett has defended her appearance in a TV commercial promoting a tax on carbon emissions, saying she felt impelled to act out of concern for her children's future.

Blanchett has been attacked by opposition politicians and some media commentators, who said her wealth - estimated at A$53 million ($69 million) - meant she was out of touch.

The Oscar-winner said yesterday that she supported a carbon tax only if it was accompanied by "generous assistance" - already promised by the Government - to compensate lower- and middle-income households for higher electricity, fuel and food prices.

"Everyone will benefit if we protect the environment," she told Fairfax newspapers. "There is a societal cost of increased pollution, and that's what I'm passionate about as a mother, that's where it gets me in the gut.

"I can't look my children in the face if I'm not trying to do something in my small way and to urge other people."

Blanchett, who has three sons with her husband Andrew Upton, appears briefly in the ad, which was funded by the Australian Council of Trade Unions and environmental groups.

The Government is negotiating with the Greens and independent MPs to set a starting price and work out details of compensation for industry and households. Its chief climate change adviser, Ross Garnaut, yesterday reiterated his support for a starting price of A$20 to A$30 a tonne.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott said: "You do not give special weight to celebrities ... who live half the year in Hollywood."

However, some commentators noted that when Australia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, spoke out against the mining tax last year, no one suggested that her wealth - A$10.3 billion, made from iron ore - disqualified her from being taken seriously.

Blanchett said: "Yes, I've been fortunate in my career, but that's no reason not to stand up for something that I deeply believe in."