CANBERRA, 3rd May: 350.org Australia says the billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies handed out in today’s federal budget show that the Turnbull Government is a coal and gas government – prioritising the big polluters over the people it was elected to represent.
“This is a coal and gas budget. Economists tell us that cutting handouts to the coal and gas industry is a fair and effective way to stop wasting taxpayers dollars. Yet here we are with a budget that gives the big polluters billions of dollars in subsidies,” said Blair Palese, CEO of 350 Australia.
“As the Reef undergoes the worst bleaching event in history and temperatures rise to unprecedented levels, it is unconscionable for our politicians to be propping up the companies driving these tragic impacts.”
“Polling shows that Australians don’t want their money propping up the big polluters. They want it funding critical areas like health and clean energy instead.
“With a federal election just weeks away, it’s time for voters to decide who will protect essential services like health, clean energy and education, and who will continue to pander to the big polluters,” concluded Palese.
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