As Parliament returns and negotiations intensify over the Albanese Government's laws to cut industrial pollution via the Safeguard Mechanism, new polling shows Australians want Labor to negotiate with the crossbench to hold big polluters accountable.
A national poll by UComms commissioned by GetUp shows that 61.6% of respondents think Labor should work with the Greens and independents to make sure the laws require corporations to make genuine cuts to pollution.
80.3% of Labor voters agree that the Albanese Government should ensure the Safeguard Mechanism requires big corporations to actually cut their pollution.
Without amendments, Labor’s safeguard mechanism gives polluting corporations unlimited access to offsets instead of requiring genuine cuts to climate pollution.
Key polling results:
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61.6% of Australians think the Albanese Government should work with the Greens and independents to make sure the laws require corporations to make genuine cuts to pollution.
- 80.3% of Labor voters agree.
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65.5% of Australians think the Albanese Government should not subsidise fracking in the NT with public funds, and should review all fossil fuel subsidies in the next federal budget.
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Labor leads the two party preferred vote with 53%
GetUp CEO Larissa Baldwin-Roberts said:
“At the last election, Australians voted overwhelmingly for parties and candidates committed to action on climate change – and this poll shows voters expect the Albanese Government to negotiate stronger climate laws.
“As it stands, Labor’s safeguard mechanism would give new fossil fuel projects like fracking in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin a free pass to pollute. Big corporations would be allowed to buy unlimited offsets instead of actually cutting their climate pollution.”
“Gas corporations want to frack vast quantities of methane in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin, steamrolling the consent of Traditional Owners to destroy water, land and our climate.
“Methane gas is a climate disaster. Communities are already feeling the impacts of climate damage with extreme floods in the Northern Territory and the Albanese Government must not allow fracking corporations to make the problem worse.
“Ahead of the May federal budget, the Albanese Government must also apply the concerns of two thirds of Australians who oppose subsidising fracking in the NT with public funds, and support a review of all fossil fuel subsidies.”
ENDS
Media contact: Amy Morgan, media@getup.org.au, +61 2 8188 2870
Notes to Editors
The results of the UComms polling data can be viewed here