Canberra, Tuesday 24 November 2009

The Prime Minister’s $7 billion offer to the Coalition is a black day for the environment, the Australian Greens said today.

“How did the Prime Minister keep a straight face when dressing up the Coalition’s polluters’ policies in green rhetoric?” Australian Greens Leader, Senator Bob Brown asked.

“This is a cave in to the big polluters at the expense of Australia’s future, our community, our economy and our environment.

“Under this terrible bargain, the more you pollute, the more hand-outs you get. And to pay for that, Kevin Rudd is taking money from every household in Australia.”

Greens analysis is that the numbers provided today are somewhat contradictory, for example the Prime Minister’s press release puts increased funding for the electricity sector at $4 billion, while the table puts it at $3 billion. However, on the basis of what has been provided, 94% of today’s new money is going to further prop up and entrench the existing polluting economy.

“The Prime Minister today loaded the dice against Australia’s children, against our future,” Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

“His polluters’ pact offer gives us less than a 50% chance of avoiding climate catastrophe. It is a death knell for the Great Barrier Reef and the Murray Darling, and a disaster for Australia’s employment and food security.

“The Prime Minister is quite correct that the CPRS will give a long term investment signal to business, but the signal it gives is ‘roll on coal’.

“What we’ll now see is Queensland and NSW approving new coal fired power stations, Victoria refurbishing its brown coal stations and WA recommissioning old coal power stations.

“This is a mockery of an emissions trading scheme which gives a signal for no transformation.

“This is a dirty deal, an exercise in double think, and a deceit on the Australian people.”

A message from Bob and Christine…

Dear friends,

It’s polluters’ payday in Parliament House, but to listen to Kevin Rudd you’d think he’s just saved the world.

Help make sure Kevin doesn’t get away with his climate double talk.

Kevin Rudd has once again bent over backwards to give the polluters and the climate sceptics what they asked for, pinching another $5.8 billion out of taxpayers’ pockets on the way through.

Now is a critical moment to stand up and be counted, to say “not in my name”, to call Kevin Rudd out for his climate hypocrisy.

We need floods of letters to editors to make the clear point that Australians will not accept an emission s trading scheme that locks in failure.

If we keep fighting this, we can still drive real action in the years to come!

Yours in hope,
Bob and Christine

PS: If you are in Sydney or Melbourne, please come to one of the snap protests today.

Melbourne: 1pm, steps of the State Library marching to Lindsay Tanners office; call the Greens office for more info on 03 9912 2999

Sydney: 1pm, Kevin Rudd’s office, 70 Phillip St (between Bent and Bridge Streets, closest train stations is Circular Quay)

Senator Bob Brown