The NSW Liberal Government has learnt nothing from the Morrison Government’s climate defeat

The NSW Liberal-National Government has today recommended approval for the Mount Pleasant mine expansion in Muswellbrook, green-lighting the extraction by MACH Energy of more carbon than any other project approved by the IPC in NSW, and which will continue to operate for a further 22 years.

Quotes attributable to Greens NSW MP Abigail Boyd, Spokesperson for Energy and Spokesperson for the Hunter Valley:

“This decision by the NSW Liberal-National government is yet another example of the arrogance and ignorance that has led Australia to be an international climate pariah.

“Less than a fortnight after a resounding federal defeat the Coalition government has proven themselves incapable of learning or listening to the public when it comes to our environment.

“The Treasurer and Minister for Energy Matt Kean likes to cast himself as some bastion of climate change action, but he and his government are just as hopelessly complicit in wanton climate destruction as Barnaby Joyce and Scott Morrison.

“NSW saw a record number of safe Liberal seats turn Teal in the federal election, and across the country we saw a surge of support for the Greens, and it’s hard to imagine the NSW voting public will be any more forgiving of this climate criminality when the time comes to decide on our political leaders in next year’s State election.

“We urgently need a moratorium on new coal and gas projects across the country. It’s now incumbent on the newly elected federal Labor government to intervene swiftly to prevent this massively destructive fossil fuel project from going ahead,” said Ms Boyd.

Media contact for further comment

Angus Hoy for Abigail Boyd | 0416 130 969

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

NSW is missing out on tens of billions of dollars. By introducing a progressive coal royalty structure similar to the one in Queensland, we would have raised an extra $20 billion last year.

The NSW Government owns and controls, on behalf of the people of this state, the rights to the minerals and materials that naturally occur in NSW land.

Huge fossil fuel companies are only able to extract and sell these commodities with the consent of the State. It’s time they paid a fair price for that privilege.

The fossil fuel industry has made hundreds of billions of dollars out of their cosy relationship with governments. Granted permission to extract and sell coal, these large multinational fossil fuel corporations pay just over 7% in royalties back to the people of NSW – keeping the rest as mega-profits for themselves. These companies have a track record of taking more than their fair share and leaving communities suffering and stranded with poisoned groundwater, devastated landscapes and a stranded workforce when it suits their business models.

Globally, the hyper-inflation of fossil fuel prices driven by price-gouging opportunism and war profiteering from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has delivered record windfall profits to these already obscenely wealthy corporations. In the last year, NSW coal exports totaled over $70 billion dollars, but the people of NSW will only see about 7 cents in every dollar, or about $6 billion dollars of that amount.

Rather than going toward schools, hospitals and public infrastructure, billions of dollars went into the pockets of multinational mining corporations. The Greens believe there should be more money for schools and hospitals and less for mining billionaires.

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

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The NSW Liberal Government has learnt nothing from the Morrison Government’s climate defeat

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

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