28 ms·

Sounds like something the coal industry would fight even harder

• BLKNSLVR 3y ago
  During Australia's mining boom in the early 2000's, the government was making tax dollars hand over fist. What they did was then offer all kinds of tax cuts that Australia couldn't really afford long term. Better explained here: https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/federal-budget-hangover-peter-costellos-to-blame-20150605-ghhah3.html https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/federal-budget-hangover-peter... Basically, they purchased popularity. Australian politics has neither the willpower nor the foresight to battle either the coal or the fuel lobby. The current government has already started watering down its initial fuel efficiency standards: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-26/vehicle-efficiency-standard-climate-laws-watered-down/103634042 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-26/vehicle-efficiency-st... Although an unintended consequence tax write off (which saw a massive percentage increase of US style 'trucks' on Australian residential roads) is being cut back: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/hate-all-the-monster-utes-on-our-streets-your-tax-dollars-helped-pay-for-them-20231022-p5ee5v.html https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/hate-all-the-monster... Australia goes incredibly slowly in the right direction because Australians, like most Western countries' citizens, as-a-group, have their heads in the sand about the effects of the lifestyles to which they've become accustomed have on the world around them, and they're ably supported in this thinking by irresponsible media and opportunistic politics/politicians.