The credibility of the Gillard Government’s promise to deliver a budget surplus in 2012-13 has been undermined by the refusal of its Finance Minister to guarantee the carbon tax won’t erode it or wipe it out altogether, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Simon Birmingham said today. The Government has previously stated the impact of the…
Labor’s promise that more than 50 per cent of carbon tax revenue will go to households has been exposed as yet another carbon tax hoax, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. It is now clear Labor is counting fuel tax offsets in its commitment to spend more than half…
The removal of regulators in the Goolwa Channel in the lower reaches of the River Murray has long been overdue, Coalition Murray-Darling Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. It follows today’s announcement of $9 million in federal funding for their removal. “These regulators were supposed to have softened the impact of drought…
The Gillard Government’s Leader in the Senate has today refused to confirm its commitment to budget neutrality for its planned carbon tax, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. “The Government’s shelved ‘Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme’ (CPRS) was forecast to run at an annual deficit of up to $1.6 billion[1],”…
Senator Joyce and Senator Birmingham called on the Government to refocus its efforts on the Murray-Darling following the resignation of Rob Freeman, CEO of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. “We all know that the Government has completely mishandled this process from day one,” said Senator Joyce today. “It is extremely distressing for all…
Last night’s budget confirms that the Government’s commitment to real change in the Murray-Darling Basin is lukewarm at best said Senator Barnaby Joyce and Senator Simon Birmingham today. “It’s now almost 3 years since Labor launched its Water for the Future reform. Since then its record has been nothing but delay and disaster. “Last…
Labor is making so many promises about its carbon tax that there is almost no alternative but for petrol prices to skyrocket, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. It follows commitments made about the carbon tax, including assistance based on Labor’s shelved 2009 ‘Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme’ (CPRS) package.…
The Gillard Government is doing its best to divert attention from parliamentary scrutiny of its carbon tax plans, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. The Government’s Climate Commission has scheduled a public forum at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday 24 May* coinciding with a Senate Budget Estimates hearing…
The Coalition’s Dams and Water Management Task Group today completed a two-day visit to the Gulf catchment in North Queensland. Task group members Barnaby Joyce, Ian Macdonald and Simon Birmingham inspected potential sites on the Flinders and Gilbert rivers. “Water is wealth and if we want to grow some of the disparate…
Labor’s carbon tax chaos has continued with delays announced to tax incentives for energy efficiency measures that would have helped to reduce the impact of the carbon tax on many businesses. The Tax Breaks for Green Buildings program has become another of Labor’s election promises to be broken in some way. By delaying…