19 December, 2018
NSW Climate Change Fund spending on emissions reduction slashed 72% in one year
The latest NSW Climate Change Fund Annual Report shows the Berejiklian government has slashed spending on policies and programs that directly reduce carbon emissions by 72%.
The fund’s 2017-18 Annual Report, released earlier in December, shows spending on direct emissions reduction schemes plunged $94.2M, down from $128.3M in 2016-17 to $35.9M in 2017-18.
At the same time, funding for bushfire management and private property conservation subsidies and other peripheral programs increased $112.8M to $145.1M in 2017-18, up from $32.3M in 2016-17.
“The Climate Change Fund was set up to reduce NSW climate pollution and the impacts of climate change,” Nature Conservation CEO Kate Smolski said.
“Now it is being used to finance programs that should be covered by the budgets of the environment or primary industries departments.
“Of course, it is important to support bushfire management and private-land conservation, however, that should not be at the expense of pollution reduction measures.
“The Berejiklian government is now using this fund to underwrite its ecologically disastrous land-clearing laws and pay for environmentally harmful projects including the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall.
“This is totally unacceptable. NSW is the most coal-reliant state in the nation and extreme weather events are affecting communities across the state with increasing frequency.”
Ms Smolski said 2017-18 was the fourth consecutive year the government had collected more money for the fund than it had spent. (See here.)
“In 2017-18, the fund collected about $293 million but spent only about $181 million, a massive $112 million underspend,” she said.
“What’s the problem? Has Premier Berejiklian run out of ideas of how to spend the money? If so, here are a few billion dollars’ worth of suggestions we prepared earlier.”
MEDIA CONTACT: James Tremain, 0419 272 254
Summary of Expenditure 2014-2018
|
Item
|
Amount
|
% of budget
|
|
2013-14
|
|
Carbon reduction
|
$272.3m
|
92%
|
|
Other
|
$23.1m
|
8%
|
|
Total
|
$295.4m
|
100%
|
|
2014-15
|
|
Carbon reduction
|
$231.3m
|
91%
|
|
Other
|
$22.0m
|
9%
|
|
Total
|
$253.3m
|
100%
|
|
2015-16
|
|
Carbon reduction
|
$228.2m
|
90%
|
|
Other
|
$25.0
|
10%
|
|
Total
|
$253.2m
|
100%
|
|
2016-17
|
|
Carbon reduction
|
$128.3m
|
80%
|
|
Other
|
$32.3m
|
20%
|
|
Total
|
$160.6m
|
100%
|
|
2017-18
|
|
Carbon reduction
|
$35.9m
|
20%
|
|
Other
|
$145.1m
|
80%
|
|
Total
|
$181m
|
100%
|
Source: CCF Annual Reports, FY2014 to FY2018
Summary of Expenditure FY2017-2018
|
ITEM
|
AMOUNT
|
|
National energy regulation
|
$10.2 million
|
|
Energy affordability and efficiency
|
$16.6 million
|
|
Responding to energy demand
|
$3.3 million
|
|
Smarter energy use in government
|
$0.4 million
|
|
Reducing emissions and sustainability
|
$5.4 million
|
|
Coastal and floodplain management and delivery of programs in the Hunter Valley and Hawkesbury Nepean to prepare for major flood events
|
$33.7 million
|
|
Private land conservation
|
$43.0 million
|
|
Protected area management
|
$32.2 million
|
|
Enhanced bushfire management and hazard reduction
|
$27.6 million
|
|
Improving our understanding of climate change impacts
|
$2.8 million
|
|
Other government priorities
|
$5.8 million
|
|
TOTAL
|
$181 million
|
Source: CCF Annual Reports FY2018. Emissions reduction measures are highlight.
ANNUAL REPORTS
The data we have used for this analysis comes from the NSW Climate Change Fund Annual Reports.
FY2014 - https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/grants/140739CCFAR1314.pdf
FY2015 - https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/grants/150758-climate-change-fund-annual-report-2014-15.pdf
FY2016 - https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/climatechange/climate-change-fund-annual-report-2015-16-160497.pdf
FY2017 - https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/climatechange/climate-change-fund-annual-report-2016-17-170516.pdf
FY2018 - https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/-/media/OEH/Corporate-Site/Documents/Climate-change/climate-change-fund-annual-report-2017-18-180595.pdf
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