Getting public money out of coal and gas

We are asking the Government to phase out fossil fuels as a matter of urgency. In the immediate term, and as a show of good faith, the Government needs to start systematically and urgently removing all forms of public money from these industries. 

Our friends at the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania of the Uniting Church have come up with a great way of bringing this message to the federal Treasurer, Jim Chalmers. 

They have put together postcards that we can all send to the Treasurer about the biggest slice of public money going into coal and gas: the fuel tax credit scheme: 

• This is a tax credit for those in regional Australia for the use of fuel.
• It costs the government nearly $10 billion per year
• Of this, around $1.5 billion per year goes to coal and gas mining. This is the single biggest use of public money for the fossil fuel sector.
• Technically, this is not a ‘subsidy’, but that is beside the point. It’s public money going to this sector. 
• As a starting point, the postcard asks the Treasurer to cap the Fuel Tax Credit to $50 million per group, which would only impact eight large mining corporations. Such a measure would encourage these corporations to use electric vehicles and reduce their use of diesel

If you would like some of these postcards to give out to others in your faith community to send to the Treasurer, please fill out the form below. Please note that for the sake of practicality, we need a minimum order of ten postcards at a time.

The postcards are are pre-written and read:

Dear Treasurer,

I am deeply concerned that the Government continues to give up nearly $10 billion in revenue annually to effectively prop up the ongoing use of diesel fuel through the Fuel Tax Credit scheme.

Such financial support for the use of fossil fuels runs counter to the necessary actions the Australian Government should be taking to address the harm caused by climate change. I am further concerned that some of the Fuel Tax Credits go to coal mining corporations to help reduce their mining costs.

As a starting point, I ask your Government to cap the Fuel Tax Credit to $50 million per group, which would only impact eight large mining corporations. Such a measure would encourage these corporations to use electric vehicles and reduce their use of diesel.

Yours sincerely,

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