Coal export levy proposed by Australian Greens

Thermal coal exports should have a $2 a tonne levy imposed on them to raise $350 million a year for flood mitigation projects, the Australian Greens say.

Greens leader Senator Christine Milne said in Brisbane on Thursday it was time the coal industry was asked to contribute to the conditions it was creating by increasing carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

The Greens are basing their policy push on the truism that prevention is better than cure and point out that Queensland - with two major flood events in two years - would be a major beneficiary of their policy.

"We must prepare for the inevitable, for the more intense extreme weather events," Senator Milne said.

"Over the forward estimates you would raise over $300 million a year and that money would enable you to put this money into disaster relief."

The scheme allocates money in a similar way to the Queensland Government's Royalties to the Regions flood mitigation program, although that scheme draws money from a share of mining royalties, not specifically from thermal coal exports.

The Greens lead Senate candidate Adam Stone said it made sense to spend more upfront to build levee banks, to build permanent fire breaks and disaster warning systems before they were needed.

Mr Stone said the Australian government had spent $6 billion on fire and flood disaster recovery funding in the past six years.

"And at the state level we have spent $5 billion picking up the pieces after the floods," he said.

"And yet we spend less than 3 per cent of that on prevention.

"We've got the balance wrong."

He said $27 million was spent on disaster mitigation programs Australia-wide.

"We are saying that needs to be boosted to $350 million across the whole country."

Senator Milne defended the $2 a tonne thermal coal levy to pay for the proposal.

"You are talking about the impact on an industry which is making $90 a tonne from exporting that coal," Senator Milne said.

"A $2 levy would be the equivalent to a two cents fluctuation in the exchange rate and they are dealing with that every day."

Senator Milne said the Climate Commission had recently reported that there was a "direct link" between burning fossil fuels and more extreme weather events.

"That is why we think that the coal industry, which is contributing to accelerated global warming, should pay for some of the costs that the country is paying."

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/coal-export-levy-proposed-by-australi...

not sure anyones buying our coal..

not as much as they used to anyway...

I guess people buying our exports wont mind paying a levy..LOL

I am interest to see the origins of this policy. Was it a recommendation from a report, or from a greens think tank. I would also be interested to see if their figures were supplied by treasury or if they did a "coalition" and got an accounting firm to provide them