Last night’s federal budget saw billions for fossil fuels and fast-tracking destruction but not a cent of new money for nature and wildlife protection.
Labor has caved in to vested interests in the gas, coal and logging industries by dropping their promise to fix our environment laws, backing gas, and now fast-tracking environmental destruction instead of environmental protection.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is Greens Spokesperson for the Environment:
“The message in this budget could not be clearer – protecting nature is not a priority for this Government. Their dumped promise to fix our environment laws has been swiftly followed with absolutely no new funding for our environment and wildlife.
“The only time the environment was mentioned by the Treasurer at all in his speech last night was in relation to fast-tracking ‘approvals’ for more logging and fossil fuel pollution.
“Labor have completely caved into the gas, coal and logging lobby, and our wildlife will suffer as a result.
“We are running out of time to save the planet, yet the Government wants to make our wildlife wait. Their empty promise to halt environmental destruction, halt extinction, and halt biodiversity decline is in tatters.
“This budget is the nail in the coffin of the Government’s environment agenda. Instead of nature protection, they’ve chosen to fast-track destruction.
“Only the Greens in balance of power at the next election can be trusted to protect the environment.
“We need to see an end to native forest logging, and an end to the subsidies that fuel wildlife destruction and fossil fuel pollution.”
