25 October 2022: Climate activist group 350.org Australia says good riddance to a number of Morrison’s garbage gas subsidies, but there is more for the Albanese Government to do to cut wasteful funding of fossil fuels, and especially gas.

Analysis of the October 2022 budget shows cuts to numerous gas programs that the Morrison Government introduced, including:

• $325.9 million from energy and emissions reductions programs including gas and carbon capture and storage;
• $89.9 million cut from the “New Investments under the Technology Investment Roadmap”;
• $7 million cut from “uncommitted funding for gas infrastructure”
• $10.7 million redirected from the Strategic Gas Basin Plans
• $141 million in carbon capture and storage redirected away from gas and towards hard to abate sectors

The Government also, however, recommitted to a number of the Morrison Government’s previously announced gas subsidies, including $1.5 billion in public funding to the Darwin gas-fired petrochemical precinct.

The Morrison Government committed over $4 billion in public funds for the gas industry, based on the recommendations of the gas-executive stacked Covid Commission.

Shani Tager, Senior Campaigner at 350 Australia says: “It’s good riddance to some of these garbage gas handouts from Morrison’s bin fire of a legacy of public funds for the gas industry.

“These are big cuts to gas subsidies but there’s still a mega-gas handout left from Morrison’s gas cash splash. Communities across Australia will continue to fight against the gas-fired toxic industry plans for Darwin which received $1.5 billion in tonight’s Federal budget.

“Gas companies are making windfall profits, they don’t need a dollar of public money to fuel their damaging projects.

“Ending funding to gas, coal and oil is a key step in cutting emissions and transitioning the economy. Tonight’s cuts to gas subsidies is just the start in terms of what’s needed to make sure that our public funds are serving communities, not gas corporations.”