Rising Tide activists are continuing to make an indelible mark in their pursuit to spread their “message for change”.
Members of the climate justice group painted the words, TAX ME (accompanied by a love heart), on a coal ship at the Port of Newcastle on Wednesday 25 March.
It follows the organisation’s call to the federal government to introduce a 78% coal export levy to fund a community and industrial transition.
The vessel, ironically named Climate Respect, was being loaded at the port when it was vandalised.
The action also comes just days after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s department asked Treasury to model “new excise options” to tax windfall gas and thermal company profits.
“Over the past few weeks, there has been growing pressure on the Commonwealth to initiate a windfall tax on gas profits from the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), economists, the Greens and independents including David Pocock and Allegra Spender,” a spokesperson said.
“Australia is the largest exporter of coal pollution in the world… and the Newcastle port is the largest in the world.
“Our plea for a 78% tax on coal export profits is informed by Norway, which has been taxing profits of its oil and gas sector at 78% since 1996.
“That raises more than a trillion dollars for its sovereign wealth fund.”
Maitland resident Lindsay Dean applauded Rising Tide’s latest act of boldness.
“We are stunned at the irony in naming a coal ship Climate Respect when the burning of coal is the number one driver of dangerous climate change,” he said.
“Real climate respect looks like rapidly phasing out coal and taxing corporations to raise the billions of dollars required to support workers and communities transition to secure, sustainable industries and jobs.
“As the current war escalation in Iran causes everyday Australians to struggle with through-the-roof petrol prices, coal and gas companies are reaping record profits.
“That’s not fair to the Australian people and it’s time the government starts making these greedy corporations pay their fair share in tax.
“We hope the Albanese government puts their money where their mouth is and introduces a windfall tax on the gas companies profiting off war.
“This needs to be extended to include our coal exports who are also profiting at the expense of everyday Australians.
“NSW royalties are only 8-to-10%, and while 60% of NSW coal royalties are generated from the Hunter Valley, less than 2% of that figure comes back to the region to fund support for workers during the transition away from coal.
“This is an outrage.”
It’s the second occasion Rising Tide has painted on a coal ship in Newcastle, writing the same words on Climate Justice in October last year.
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