Direct Action appears to be about support, not control

T

he Abbott’s Government’s much lauded “Direct Action” appears to be about directly supporting Australia’s worst polluters, rather than acting to seriously slow country’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Today’s Melbourne Age tells us that the Abbott government has proposed a major concession to the heavy-polluting electricity industry in its direct action climate change policy by exempting individual companies from caps on emissions.

Lisa Cox and Peter Hannam write - “Power sector to get special treatment under Direct Action” – “The government is beginning public consultation for the so-called safeguards mechanism for its $2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund, which will pay major polluters to reduce their pollution.”