End fossil fuel subsidies

We've looked at Federal spending and identified the four biggest fossil fuel subsidies - worth $35 billion over the next four years.

There’s no good reason for Australian taxpayers to be paying the diesel bill of miners, paying our dirtiest power stations to stay open, providing tax breaks for oil, gas and coal seam gas projects or subsidising airlines.

If we’re serious about stopping climate change, we need to stop funding it. Right now. Even conservative organisations like the International Energy Agency and the World Bank have said that cutting these subsidies globally is vital to stopping climate change. But the government need to hear it from you.

So join with us to tell the Treasurer and other key decision makers to cut fossil fuel subsidies today.

Email subject: *

Email message: *

Dear Treasurer
 
(CC Ministers Wong, Combet, Albanese, Burke)
 
Following on from your important work introducing a price on carbon, I think you should remove the fossil fuel subsidies still in place in Australia, as recommend by the World Bank and the International Energy Agency among others.
 
The fossil fuel subsidies I am most concerned about include:
 
1)	  Carbon price compensation payments to our dirtiest power stations: $1 billion per year
2)	  The Fuel Tax Credits program: footing the diesel bill for miners and the transport sector: around $6 billion per year
3)	  Accelerated depreciation for oil, gas and coal seam gas projects: up to $1.44 billion annually by 2016-17
4)	  Aviation fuel tax concessions: up to $970 million annually by 2014-15
 
Cutting these 4 polluting subsidies could save up to $35 billion over 4 years and protect the environment and climate at the same time.
 
The next step in stopping climate change is to stop funding it.
 
Please act now to cut fossil fuel subsidies.
 
Yours sincerely

Your first name: *

Your surname: *

Your email: *

Your address: *

Your suburb: *

Your state: *

Your postcode: *

Your phone number:

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Comments

cutting fuel susidies

cutting fuel susidies will not only preserve and protect the environment ,but release funds towards developing a renewable energy industry ,which will not harm the ennvironment or destroy the biosphere.

Thu, 31/01/2013 - 18:57 — Anonymous -

My response to Simon Creans form letter

Thank you for your email to the Hon Simon Crean MP, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for the Arts; Federal Member for Hotham.

My office receives a large volume of correspondence, emails and phone calls daily.

Priority is given to the residents of Hotham whom I have been elected to represent. If you are a local resident, please ensure that you have included your address, a contact phone number and email address and I will attend to the inquiry as soon as possible.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact me, your email is important to me and I will respond as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

SIMON CREAN

I understand you are busy so I wasn't expecting a personal reply Simon and I am aware that my email was part of a several you would have received from Environment Victoria but it really does seem a nobrainer to reduce/slash/abolish (do what you can get through the political process) the subsidies in question and whether I live in Hotham or not the impact of climate change will be felt by everyone who does, and the rest of Melbourne/Australia/World, Perhaps you can tell me as I would love to know as would all Australians, why these subsidies are still in place and what plans your government has for reducing them so they are coherent with the rest of your policies.
Regards
Peter Morgan

Mon, 28/01/2013 - 21:18 — Anonymous -

In response to Mark Dreyfus being concerned about "Form Letters"

No worries Mark. While my submission was indeed a form letter its in response to an issue which you and your government really should take heed off. It seems a nobrainer to reduce/slash/abolish (do what you can get through the political process) the subsidies in question and whilst i don't live in Isaac's the impact of climate change will be felt by everyone who does, and the rest of Melbourne/Australia/World, And I reckon you give a stuff, when we had a brief conversation at a opening of a school garden a few years back you quizzed me about what we we doing as an organisation to talk to school children about climate change. Well my question is to you what are you doing as an organisation about climate change and to talk about the impact of climate change to the citizens of Australia it seems to me that your organisation is too preoccupied in the business of politics to really talk about the impact of climate change.

Finally, I felt that your reference to "form letters" was somewhat dismissive I would have imagined that you would welcome any engagement in the political process. As it happens Environment Victoria were the people who alerted me to the fact that there was an opportunity to respond to Wayne Swans call for budget submissions. You didn't tell me that was a possibility directly and neither did Wayne . They made that possible and by making it easy to engage with the political process does that make my contribution less worthwhile somehow. It is pretty old school to think that clicktivisim is less worthy of your attention than old fashioned letters. I suspect it is a lack of understanding on your part on the barriers to engagement with the political process, surely it shouldn't be for the few who view it as their calling as I assume you do. Anyways its kind of ironic that your office response is a "form letter"

Please take this issue seriously. I would love to know as would all Australians, why these subsidies are still in place and what plans your government has for reducing them so they are coherent with the rest of your policies.

Regards Peter Morgan
drpmo@hotmail.com

Mon, 28/01/2013 - 21:09 — Anonymous -

Anyone else get a dismissive "form reply" from Mark Dreyfus?

See his response below....
regards Peter

Thank you for contacting me via email.

While I try to respond to all letters, emails and messages as quickly as possible, I am currently receiving a particularly high volume of emails, many of which are form letters.

As the Federal Member for Isaacs, my priority is responding to constituents who live in Isaacs and require assistance, or to those who have queries in relation to my portfolio responsibilities of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and Industry and Innovation. For all of these matters I will do my best to respond as quickly as possible.

If your matter is urgent and you live in Isaacs, please contact my office on (03) 9769 1955 for assistance. Please note that the office is closed during the period 21 December 2012 and 6 January 2013. For emergencies during this time please contact Julie Coventry on 0409144263.

For other matters, I appreciate your correspondence and the time you have taken to contact me.

Kind regards,

Mark Dreyfus

MARK DREYFUS QC MP
Federal Member for Isaacs

PS. You might also like to look at my website www.markdreyfus.com for up-to-date information on my electorate activities and portfolio responsibilities.

Mon, 28/01/2013 - 21:04 — Anonymous -

fossil fuels

I would much prefer my tax dollars to go to supporting sole parents, the most vulnerable citizens in our community with the most precious responsibility, caring alone for their children. It is a disgrace that an ALP government supports the big polluters while attacking sole parents.

Mon, 28/01/2013 - 12:07 — Anonymous -

Corrupt Government

Get rid of our corrupt Government, ripping us off in more ways than you know how!!!

Tue, 22/01/2013 - 21:18 — Anonymous -

Subsidies for fossil fuels

I would like a transparently given reason for any subsidies for fossil fuels. Perhaps someone is "on the take" here. Fossil fuel lobbyists have more financial backing than do environmentalists.

Fri, 14/12/2012 - 17:22 — Anonymous -

SUBSIDIES FOR FOSSIL FUELS

That's because the lobbyists have friends directly involved in the business of fossil fuel mining and selling and these friends make it very worthwhile for them to continue the lobbying. They also keep undermining climate science to cast doubt in the public's mind on issues of global warming. Read a book titled "Merchants of Doubt".
They did it with cigarettes and now they are doing it with fossil fuels while humanity is moving closer each day to the edge of our existential precipice. There will be no jobs on a dead planet and fat bank accounts won't matter either.

Tue, 29/01/2013 - 22:12 — Anonymous -

subsidies for fossil flels

"On the take" implies "illegal". No. The problem is laws made in the dark ages when miners were economic sacred cows and nobody understood the damage they were doig to the planet. But now it it time to change this and stop this subsidy which is very harmful to both the environment and the budget.

Sun, 27/01/2013 - 11:11 — Anonymous -