Browsing: Interest group actions

A transport forum with members including NRMA, the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority, VicRoads, toll road company Transurban and car rental businesses yesterday combined with the Australian Conservation Foundation to send an open letter to Treasurer Wayne Swan urging him to abolish tax breaks for salary-packaged cars.

An alliance of industry, union and environment organisations launched this morning has urged the Rudd government to set a goal of having the equivalent of three 500MW power stations fitted with CCS by 2020.



As a first step, Australia needs to finalise by this September nationally-consistent legislation and a policy framework to overcome first-mover barriers, the alliance says.

Greenpeace thinks carbon capture and storage is a con and is taking a dim view of a new alliance between Australian mining companies, the mining union, an environment group and a leading climate policy institute that plans to push the technology along.



But the union involved says without more effective leadership billions of dollars of investment in CCS is at risk.

The Rudd government should remove tax breaks for personal use of company cars and abolish the Fuel Tax Credits scheme that gives tax breaks worth more than a billion dollars a year to the mining industry, Australian Conservation Foundation chief Don Henry told the National Press Club today. (plus audio)



Henry also urged the government to remove tax concessions for aviation fuel and push for resource companies to boost their 'miserable' levels of spending on R&D into technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

• Tests finds patchy compliance with energy performance standards
  
• Emissions should peak in 2010, say WWF and IAG
  
• Productivity Commission floats chemicals reforms

The head of the International Energy Agency told last week's major economies meeting in Hawaii a "CO2 incentive" of US$200 a tonne would be needed to deliver a 50% cut in emissions by 2050, the IEA revealed yesterday.



Meanwhile, the head of Australia's mining union, Tony Maher, has canvassed the creation of a new climate change pressure group and has urged resource companies to massively boost their spending on carbon capture and storage.

Speaking on behalf of the world's trade unions, CFMEU national president Tony Maher told Bali heads of delegation their talks constitute 'the biggest trade and employment treaty process ever attempted by the nations of the Earth'.



Plus 'what people are thinking overseas'. Some come to a UN climate conference to negotiate. Others come to lobby negotiators. But everyone comes to learn, as the best and brightest in climate policy gather together.



For those who haven't already had a Bali bellyful, CE Daily sorts through webcast Bali side-events to guide you to the pick of the bunch. And we tell you where to find even more.

WWF Australia chief Greg Bourne says a range of laws – not just the federal EPBC Act – must be changed so large greenhouse gas emitters undergo regulatory scrutiny. Plus ACF calls for tax subsidy phase-outs, BCA cautions on meshing renewables and trading schemes, EBA calls for 'war council' approach. (with audio)

Office and residential property developer Investa is backing a call by the Australian Conservation Foundation for all political parties to support a national 'feed-in' tariff to make solar PV systems more economically viable. (plus audio)

An alliance of major environment groups is warning businesses wanting to use their electricity purchases to drive new investment in renewable energy generation that some energy retailers are providing "seriously misleading" descriptions of their green electricity products.