With thousands of jobs in the steel and coal industries and tens of thousands of jobs hanging off those ones, the Illawarra had everything to lose from a carbon tax.But, as we forecast last week, the Federal Government yesterday granted significant concessions to manufacturing and mining - and on the basis of that we now give the reforms our tentative and cautious support.Among the pledges yesterday was for a $300 million steel transformation fund, which combined with other shielding, means BlueScope Steel will not face a bill for its emissions for four years. Similarly, "gassy" coal producers will receive assistance, which should allay many of the concerns of the Illawarra community.That BlueScope boss Paul O'Malley endorsed the package in principle, and made a personal commitment to the steelmaker remaining in Australia, convinces us it is time to put the argy-bargy aside and look to the future.Mr O'Malley sounded relieved and almost relaxed. Certainly, taking this matter off the table lessens his worries - which are still considerable given the high Australian dollar and the company's trade-exposed position.BlueScope should use its stay of execution to pursue a greener future, one we hope involves reigniting its proposed $1 billion Port Kembla co-generation plant.With millions of dollars kicking around in concessions, we believe major public and private funds could be channelled into this project, which would dramatically reduce carbon dioxide.Shored up by the Greens (who were not involved in the last-minute steel concessions) and independents, the tax's passage through Parliament is a fait accompli.But Prime Minister Julia Gillard knows if she is to serve another term she must win the hearts and minds of ordinary people.She says this tax is simple. It is not, and we wait to see the devil in the detail.That said, we admire her courage, just as we admired John Howard's implementation of a GST, at confronting what needs to be confronted.On the surface, this new tax considers the plight of families and individuals, providing virtual total relief to all but the rich. It has been sensitive to industries on which this region depends.It tackles the greatest challenge any government can face: the future of our planet.But we say it is not Julia Gillard's future we ought to consider. Rather, it is our future and that of our children and grandchildren.