Australia ramps up funding for energy efficiency in Budget 2023. Baba Brinkman: Insulate it

The Australian Government in Budget 2023 put forward: Aus$1bn in “low-cost loans for double-glazing, solar panels and other energy efficiency improvements that will make homes easier – and cheaper – to keep cool in summer and warm in winter”; and Aus$300 million for energy efficiency social housing upgrades;

On the down side, a new coking coal mine was just approved by the Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek that will boost emissions. This is the Isaac River mine in the Bowen Basin of Queensland. (ABC News) Coal tracker estimates this mine will produce Lifetime emissions. 7 million tonnes. Coal produced. 3 million tonnes. Lifetime is 7 years.

Energy efficiency is not sexy,, and is complex to do to avoid rorting and addressing equity. But must be done.

Email to the Treasurer for Budget 2023: stop subsidising fossil fuels

Dear Treasurer, Jim Chalmers

I know this is a late request and that the major decisions for Budget 2023 have already been made and signed off.

Yet as an Australian citizen who takes a strong interest in politics and Federal Government decisions, I feel it is important to register my suggestions for the budget. 

Addressing the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises are uppermost in my mind. But I am also aware of cost of living pressures, the housing crisis, the health crisis and level of poverty that low jobseeker, single parent and other government allowances engender,and the extent of the government deficit. And the change in global geopolitics has meant increased defence spending. 

Addressing all these issues requires hard choices. I'd like you firstly to reconsider the Stage 3 tax cuts, which addresses the revenue side. These were legislated prior to the pandemic. I don't think they were good taxation policy even when formulated, now they are disastrous.They greatly increase inequality while reducing government revenue at a t8ime of large deficits.

I know that tax subsidies to Fossil fuel companies are running at about $11 billion per year. We need to stop offering carrots to fossil fuels. I know it is difficult cutting a program of subsidies, but perhaps there can be staged phaseout over a the forward estimates? Now would be the time to start such a phaseout as part of addressing budget repair.

I would also like to see  the Petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) legislation updated to better capture windfall profits of fossil fuel companies. It is a disgrace that Australia does not have a sovereign weath fund that shares the huge profits that have been made in mining and export of our fossil fuel and mineral resources.

Minister, I know the Regional development Fund , CEFC and ARENA are helping to fund renewables expansion, renewable hydrogen, green steel. This investment is vital to develop a renewable-powered export industry.. Green steel and aluminium made by us is natural value adding supporting Australian jobs and industry.

My last request is that the Budget establish a National Energy Transition Authority to effectively manage the impacts for workers and communities of phase-out of coal and gas in our electricity sector as we ramp up renewable energy solutions supported by pumped hydro and grid level batteries, and micro-grids.

Treasurer, I know your government is already acting on climate change, but the speed of action in multiple sectors is also important. I have read the latest IPCC 6th assessment Synthesis report and understand the climate crisis we are in. Given this, I think my suggestions above are moderate and sensible.

Yours sincerely,

John Englart

Bill Shorten on climate change in reply to Morrison's budget

Original article published at nofibs.com.au

In Bill Shorten's budget reply speech he mentioned climate change 5 times. This was five times more than Treasurer Scott Morrisson used the term in his budget speech.

It was a positive and inspiring speech covering the traditional Labor concerns: Jobs, Education, Medicare, Climate Change, Affordable housing, fair taxation, Equality for women, and belief in young Australians. But, like the Treasurer's speech two days ago, reference to refugee detention on Manus Island and Nauru was absent.

The speech comes as Essential Vision polling published 3 May shows Labor ahead on two party preferred figures of 52 per cent versus 48 per cent for the Coalition parties. Roy Morgan polling also shows ALP in front but Election too close to call: ALP 51% - L-NP 49%.

The Paris Agreement requires that we transition to a zero carbon economy by at least the middle of the century. Transition should be an important economic consideration. The comparison between the Coalition parties and Labor (and the Greens) could not be more stark as contained in the Treasurer's budget speech, and the budget reply speeches of Bill Shorten and Senator Richard Di Natale.

Here is the section on climate change excerpted from Bill Shorten's full speech (SMH). You can watch Bill Shorten's full budget reply at Malcolm Farnsworth's channel on YouTube.

Budget2016 fails on climate change: environment & climate NGOs respond

Article originally published at nofibs.com.au

The Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison delivered the Federal budget without once mentioning in his speech (Full text at Sydney Morning Herald) climate change, renewables, phase out of coal or transitioning to clean energy economy. This Government, though it recently signed the Paris Agreement, is in effect in climate denial going into the July 2nd Federal election.

The Treasurer's only related reference was to the abolition of the carbon tax. The Abbott/Turnbull government kept the tax scales that Labor introduced as compensation for introduction of carbon pricing. So although high income earners and companies get a tax cut in this budget, everyone on low income has already had our tax reward back in 2012, and hence get nothing.

"This change also builds on the tax cuts provided to those on incomes of less than $80,000 to compensate for the carbon tax. By abolishing the carbon tax and keeping the tax relief in our first budget we delivered a genuine tax cut for those earning up to $80,000 a year."- Scott Morrison

I'll leave others more qualified to comment on the economic and political ramifications of this budget. But the absence of any mention of the environment, of transitioning the economy away from coal to renewables and a clean energy future, and the tens of thousands of new jobs this would create, makes it clear this government is firmly stuck in the past. They use the word innovation a lot (5 times in the Treasurers speech), but it is more marketing than actual substance in supporting and funding the science and education in transforming to a low carbon economy.

Water Commission closure announced in 2014 Budget as Drought approaches

The speeding up and movement south of the Westerlies is bad news for farmers reliant on winter rainfall over the southern part of Australia. It comes at a time when the Murray Darling Basin is still under stress with the Abbott Government announcing the closure of the National Water Commission, which advises the Australian Government on progress on water policy issues and the accountability of State and Federal Government in this area. The closure will save $19.5 million over the next four years.

One needs to ask how much this closure may cost the Australian economy in reduced agricultural productivity through poor water management through the next period of extensive drought conditions.

“Taking the eye off water is foolhardy,” Mike Young, Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Chair in Australian Studies at Harvard University, said in e-mail to Circle of Blue. “National oversight of water is critical to the future of Australia.”

Climate science and clean energy suffer under first Abbott budget

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey used the federal government's first budget to continue the assault on scientific research, climate change infrastructure, and clean energy programs to devastate the fledgling renewables industry breaking several electoral promises along the way. This will have long term impacts for responding to and mitigating climate change, pushing even greater costs of action on future governments and future generations.

As leader of the Greens Senator Christine Milne observed, "The words environment and climate change did not appear once in budget speech."

And in the short term the budget reduces spending on health, education and social welfare which hit low and middle income earners particularly hard by making drastic and substantial cuts to 89 different health and social welfare programs to save $80 billion over the next 4 years.

The result: these policies increase social inequity on the short and the longer term.

Victorian State budget: Money for East west road link, but no cash for surfacing Merlynston Station carpark

The State Government has just handed down it's 2013 budget. As expected, there is little for public transport, or meeting it's own environmental election promises. Instead we see more support for brown coal which contributes to climate change, and to major road projects like initial funding for the east west link which will result in a public-private partnership and a privately managed tollroad which you and I will pay to travel on. The Metro rail tunnel and other badly needed rail network extensions have been effectively shelved by the current Government.

It hurts even more when the State Government ignores basic maintenance and simple upgrades which benefit public transport commuters. Melbourne's inner middle northern suburbs residents are calling out for existing station car parks to be resurfaced, at the cost of several thousand dollars, to avoid injuries such as broken ankles sustained from potholes in the gravel carpark surface.