2020-09-17
The Australian Greens have vowed to block any moves to turn the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and Clean Energy Finance Corporation into fossil fuel slush funds.
ARENA and the CEFC, created via the Greens-Labor Agreement in 2010, have delivered 543 clean energy projects, driven down costs of large scale solar and facilitated $27.3 billion of job-creating investment, earning a profit for government of $1.7 billion from investing in renewables.
The Greens have announced that they will move in Parliament to block any changes to ARENA and the CEFC that would allow taxpayers money to be spent propping up pie-in-the sky fossil fuel technologies, like carbon capture and storage or gas- or coal-created hydrogen.
If the coal and gas industry truly believed in carbon capture technologies they would be investing their own money into securing their own future, but instead they spend their money on political donations and politically connected lobbyists.
“This week, in the middle of a climate crisis, Scott Morrison has said gas and coal need subsidies but wind and solar don’t,” Greens Leader Adam Bandt said.
“This is like taking money from the health budget and giving it to a tobacco company.
“This is the last gasp from the gas and coal cartels that fund the Liberal and Labor parties.
“Fossil fuel corporations have donated $9,300,000 to the establishment parties since 2012-13 and now they are calling in the debt.
“The only way coal and gas can survive is with government support, so they are desperately seeking a handout to build what will soon be stranded assets.”
“Scott Morrison wants to blow our climate carbon budget and Anthony Albanese says ‘no-one is opposed to new gas’.
“Coal and gas are neither clean nor renewable. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency should not give money to big corporations peddling dirty and non-renewable fuels.”
“The Greens will move amendments to block public money going anywhere near coal and gas. We hope Labor and the Senate crossbenchers will support us,” Bandt said.