One of the more hyped elements of last week’s federal budget was a $300 handout to every homeowner to alleviate the increase in energy costs.
Presumably the government thinks the cash will provide the optics that it is trying to help with the rising cost of living.
Yet let’s dive into the logic.
This is a message that those who have spent money to have off-grid power are not valued, for example. So much for doing the right thing and reducing your carbon footprint.
Perhaps the signal is to reward those connected to rapidly ageing coal-powered plants?
If you stop to think – that $300 still goes to the fossil fuel corporations. The Labor government has given our taxpayer money back to us, to give to the power companies. It encourages energy prices to remain high.
Where’s the meaningful structural reform? Perhaps they have given up.
Or, given the dominance of old conservative mainstream media in the country, Labor have decided to appease them.
Once governments and corporate interests have fully merged, there is nothing but band-aids, token hand-outs and added layers of unneeded bureaucracy.
As David Lowe’s opinion piece on the budget points out (available at echo.net.au), fossil fuel subsidies will grow well beyond spending on renewables, and the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) will be revised down even further.
The Echo asked local MP Justine Elliot of the $300 rebate: ‘Why are the wealthy in need of government handouts, and will those who are off-grid be compensated in any way?’
She replied, ‘Our $300 energy bill rebate is being delivered through people’s energy bills, via the retailers. Once you go beyond providing this energy bill rebate, like we did in the last Budget for people who are on pensions and payments, you must design a whole new system because the energy retailers don’t have income information for people. So, the most straightforward, most efficient way is to provide this energy bill relief for every household’.
She added that other cost-of-living help includes a ‘tax cut for every taxpayer, cheaper medicines, reducing student debt, extending the higher rate of the JobSeeker Payment, increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance by a further 10 per cent, and paying superannuation on Paid Parental Leave’.
Punter’s Politics
A clever 1.30 minute online primer on the $300 rebate has been produced by Punter’s Politics, a relative new actor on the scene.
It’s available across all social media platforms.
Much like Juice Media or the Friendly Jordies, Punter’s Politics delves into the political spin and hypocrisy and delivers informative, concise and witty observations.
Punter’s Politics say Australia pays the most on the planet for its gas (it’s three times cheaper in the US), and points out that Australia is the world’s largest supplier.
And we mostly give it away to large corporations for free – Chevron’s earnings just tripled to $12b, according to The West Australian.
If it isn’t their cosy relationship with the energy cartels, then Labor are terrible negotiators on behalf of this country.
Hans Lovejoy, editor
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