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Coal lobby leaves black fingerprints on Combet's office

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 May 8 2009Black handprints that the Greenhouse Mafia left on Combet's door
Climate activists have painted black fingerprints on the doors of Federal Climate Change Secretary Greg Combet's office today. BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Xstrata, and other coal companies are meeting Combet to lobby for free carbon permits.

“The black fingerprints of the coal lobby are all over the Rudd Government's climate change plan,” said Jonathan Moylan, spokesperson for Rising Tide Newcastle.

“The Greenhouse Mafia is here today doing what it does best. Applying the blowtorch to government to get what it wants. After stalling any climate action in Australia for more than a decade, now the coal lobbyists are demanding free permits to pollute. They want a licence to kill.”

“Instead of focusing on prolonging polluting industries with free permits and cash hand-outs, the government needs to provide structural readjustment, and facilitate a transition for workers and communities into sustainable industries,” said Moylan.

The coal lobbyists are presenting “confidential data” to Greg Combet to support their demands for free permits.

Black handprints that the Greenhouse Mafia left on Combet's door“We call on Greg Combet to make public the information he receives at this meeting.”

“Australia's export and domestic coal industries contribute three quarters of this country's climate footprint. We cannot defeat climate change without phasing out coal. A Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme that fails to phase out the coal industry would be a failure.”