Today we saw the appalling revelation in the Age newspaper that Exergen (the company that wants to start up a brown coal export industry in Victoria while the world tries to forge an international agreement to cut greenhouse pollution) paid for Premier John Brumby’s time just before a crucial cabinet meeting was held to decide on the Exergen project.
How much was all this worth? The report states that private meetings with cabinet ministers would set you back about $5000 – not a bad outlay to secure a filthy new multi-billion dollar industry that would create greenhouse pollution the equivalent of adding 10% to Victoria’s current emissions. Wish I had five grand – would see if I could knock Victoria’s emissions down a notch or two.
In the words of the oil-drenched mechanic, “there’s your problem”. The cash-for-chat scandal is a prominent example of how government policy on climate and energy gets made. The industry doesn’t always have to pay for access; at a critical moment in the emissions trading debate, Federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson held a “crisis meeting” with heads of major polluting companies. The number of lobbyists stalking the corridors of Parliament Houses means that industry can easily outmuscle the environment movement. This is why the 20% renewable energy target will actually result in only 13% renewable energy by 2020 and the proposed emissions trading scheme would lock in high emissions for decades to come.
We’ll see climate and energy policies with integrity only when the vice that the industry holds politicians in is unclamped, the stranglehold on decision making is loosened, and the national interest is able to compete on a level playing field with multinational fossil fuel companies. But I’m curious – what would you say to Premier Brumby about exporting brown coal if you were cashed up enough to hold his attention?
