[Greens-Media] Australia's last Fossil Fools' Day? Let's end coal subsidies on Budget Day

[Hollo, Tim (Sen C. Milne)]

Australia's last Fossil Fools' Day? Let's end coal subsidies on Budget
Day

Hobart, Tuesday 1 April 2008  Australian Greens climate change
spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, today called on the Rudd
Government to make today Australia's last 'Fossil Fools' Day' by
committing to ending the billions of dollars in subsidies to coal and
oil in the upcoming Budget.

Senator Milne said "If Prime Minister Rudd and his Government are
serious about climate change, they must take the opportunity of their
first Budget to phase out the massive taxpayer subsidies that currently
pay polluters to keep polluting, and start transferring them to the
clean, sunrise industries that are actually deserving of support.

"They must stop the Jekyll and Hyde attitude which sees the Prime
Minister saying he wants to be a leader on climate change while Martin
Ferguson is fast-tracking funding to turn coal into a horrendously dirty
transport fuel. We must see a truly whole-of-government approach that
takes climate change into consideration with each budgetary decision.

"The coal and oil sector is old, polluting and well entrenched. Even if
climate change were not an issue, it would be outrageous that our
governments add some $9 billion every year to the coffers of the rich
multinational corporations that run the sector.

"When you add climate change and peak oil considerations to the mix,
ongoing fossil fuel subsidies become one of the most perverse and
destructive government decisions imaginable.

"With the Rudd Government searching for budgetary savings to take the
pressure off interest rates, surely subsidies to rich and polluting
corporations should be the very first place to start, rather than
further undermining scientific research by cutting the CSIRO's budget.

"The Greens have proposed that a portion of the billions that would be
saved by cutting fossil fuel subsidies should be channelled towards
further research, development and commercialisation of renewable energy
and energy efficiency technologies through a Sun Fund, and to pay for
the early stages of a systematic and systemic retrofit of Australia's
housing stock for energy efficiency, which would largely be paid through
earnings from auctioning emissions trading permits.

"Today's 'Fossil Fools' Day' would be an ideal occasion for Mr Rudd or
Minister Wong to announce that this vital process will be begun in the
upcoming Budget."

Contact: Tim Hollo on 0437 587 562


Tim Hollo
Media and Communications Adviser
Senator Christine Milne
+61 (0)2 6277 3063
+61 (0) 437 587 562
www.christinemilne.org.au

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