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Labor-Greens deal against the interests of regional Australia
02-September-2010
The signing today of a formal alliance between Gillard Labor and the Brown Greens will send a shiver down the spine of regional Australia.
If such a Labor-Greens beast forms government, the regions will be threatened by The Greens policies such as an even bigger mining tax, a giant new emissions trading scheme will be imposed on agriculture, an end to fishing in many marine areas, death duties, an open door policy on boat arrivals, and an end to coal extraction and other mining.
“In May 2009 the Senate passed a motion by Greens Leader, Senator Bob Brown, to support Federal Labor’s plan to close the timber industry in the Central Murray region. This move put 1,000 timber workers out of a job – all to protect a parrot species which is not even endangered,” said Member for Farrer, Sussan Ley.
Under the new Labor and The Greens agreement there will be food and fibre shortages in Australia as The Greens pursue their policies to end intensive agriculture and stop irrigation in the Murray Darling Basin.
“Already, this Labor Government has been one of the worst ever for people living outside the capital cities,” said Ms Ley.
“In Labor’s first Budget $1 billion was slashed from regional programs. In their second - despite agriculture being the only sector to achieve any growth in the first months of that year – a further 31% was cut and another $12 million was removed from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.
“And let’s not forget that New South Wales electricity increases would already have been 50 per cent higher if Federal Labor had pressed ahead with its emissions trading scheme.
“In the third Budget, Labor gave us a mining tax – and I am most concerned about the effect that this tax would have on mining towns, such as Broken Hill,” said Ms Ley.
“By making the Australian resources sector the highest taxed in the world, Labor’s mining tax will tip the balance for potential projects in favour of offshore destinations. This will affect far west NSW and Outback South Australia; not just WA and QLD.
“Everything Labor has done has been bad for regional Australia and has smashed confidence, local jobs and investment.”