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Where would you rather see our taxpayer money invested? 

The Government wants to frack, but what does Australia want? 

We’ve put together a letter you can sign below and add your ideas for the Federal Government on what they could do with our hard-earned tax dollars.

Please add your name and give us your ideas for where you’d rather see your tax dollars spent. 

To Federal Parliamentarians, Ministers, Departments, 

We are alarmed and disappointed to see the Federal Government now rolling out a suite of actions to prop up expensive and dangerous gas fracking across Australia without any proper public accountability.

As voters and concerned Australians, we ask that you hear our message - do not spend our money on gas fracking projects and big new gas pipelines.  

Farmlands, water resources and the climate can’t afford to keep propping up polluting gas. 

It’s time for Australia to grow stronger and tool up to embrace cleaner energy and storage. 

There are a multitude of ways the Government could take a smarter approach to the Covid recovery. The Australian community has many ideas on how we can boost agriculture, tourism, First Nations opportunities, community health and disaster relief. 

We know we can create jobs by genuinely supporting diverse Australian businesses, not throwing our money at the gas fracking industry. 

We see huge opportunities to help Australia to get off polluting and expensive gas into the future, to modernise our power and heating and to save on gas and energy bills. 

I ask that you oppose the measures being rolled out to fast-track gas fracking, including the ill-considered and secretive National Gas Infrastructure Plan, and take on board our ideas for how the money could be better spent. 

Yours sincerely,



Please add some comments.

What would you rather see money spent on?

Here are some ideas:

Helping Australian businesses get off gas
Funding community projects in your neighbourhood
Land stewardship programs
Supporting First Nations organisations and businesses working on country
Renewable energy projects and battery storage
Disaster relief

Send a message


Showing 30 reactions

  • Lou Baxter
    commented 2022-11-11 21:48:23 +1100
  • Suzanne McNeese
    commented 2022-03-27 11:45:44 +1100
    renewable energy projects should take immediate and first priority
  • Circe Alditheral
    commented 2022-03-26 20:40:19 +1100
    There are a lot of good ideas. And indeed, the corruption of the government from fossil fuels has put Australia into a very precarious position.

    Transitioning to renewables in every way and becoming a hydrogen Superpower would have so many benefits, including that renewables create many more jobs compared to fossil fuels, and have a lot more opportunity for value-adding and diversifying our very simplistic economy. The risks associated with climate change are in the trillions for Australia alone.


    We also need to counter disinformation from sources such as News Corp, who have misled Australians to believe that fossil fuels make up a much higher proportion of jobs and GDP than they actually do.

    Among this, we need governmental integrity to uphold the goodness of Australia!
  • Circe Alditheral
    commented 2022-03-26 20:29:50 +1100
    I would very much like for the government to invest our tax-payer money into things which better the situation for Australia’s people, environment, and standing, including, especially, all of the above (LOCK THE GATE), and other nation-wide things that a welfare state would do.


    For some aspects, I would like Australia to be able to produce enough food to do the following: feed everyone in Australia; direct significant volumes to eliminating hunger globally; and invigorate the economy for small, local farmers and businesses; whilst halving resource/water-use and more than doubling output.

    An example is The Netherlands, who became the world’s 2nd largest agricultural exporter by its principles of innovation (such as to do with greenhouses). However, like New Zealand, it still suffers from pollution problems which would need to be fixed through regulation and standardisation in Australia.


    I would like for the government to incentivise farmers to invest in Dutch-style agriculture to double quality production and halve water/resource-use, and increase organic farming. Give benefits, finances, and resources to low and middle farmers, encourage higher-income farmers of the benefits in investing themselves, and penalise large-scale operators for inaction. Often, innovation comes from restrictions.

    And also, for some Australian innovations such as seaweed feed. Eventually, more livestock farming will have to be replaced with “fake”-meat alternatives made with things such as fungi.


    Another two things, which are mainly to do with cities, but actually have significant impacts for Australia’s natural and agricultural land:

    For the government to:


    …increase the budget for active travel infrastructure, etc.

    Not only do we need to transition from ICE vehicles to EVs, we also need to rethink car-dependence in Australia. The benefits of this is multi-fold. Firstly, car infrastructure is loss-making and subsidised, and does not provide the social benefit that public transport does (it is also far less efficient compared to public transport); businesses worry, but cars are actually worse for business than walkers or cyclists; a majority of Australians don’t actually need to drive cars, and so reducing them reduces traffic and opens roads up for essential drivers; since cycling and walking are more efficient and effective modes than cars, their infrastructural quality should be at least or more good/complete compared to car infrastructure.

    Coincidentally, The Netherlands is actually the chief example for this good infrastructure, and it has numerous benefits. One of these benefits is for children, where they are the happiest in the world (around 90% compared to Australia’s approximately 70%) because they have freedom. The main barrier for people walking and cycling is safety, and that is put at jeopardy by cars.

    Another aspect to consider is education, and Australia should emulate Finland for its high scores and happiness with low work required. It should also be used to exemplify ethics, and true-blue Australian values which are important for life.


    …transition to medium-density and infill for urban settings, and eliminating suburban sprawl.

    Australian cities are officially the least-dense in the world. This may sound good, but it’s actually horrific!

    The majority of this land consumed by cities is suburban sprawl, which is very bad for many reasons, including the fact that they consume predominantly productive land and make them unproductive in the most inefficient, land-consumptive manners possible.

    This spreading out of cities, like Sydney and Melbourne to Tokyo-sized conurbations, results in a lot of inequality, with poorer people pushed out further from services and into more climate-dangerous areas of poorer-quality housing and isolation, and wealthier people wielding a lot of power to disrupt beneficial changes which wouldn’t actually affect them as much as they fear.

    And this is not even discussing the soulless, cookie-cutter wasteland greyness that comes with this poor design, including streets which are way too wide (which encourages speeding and car-dependence, which encourages massive unusable setbacks). The circuitous and wide streets are also a lot more resource-intensive, and this produces a lot of CO2 per dwelling — and that’s a very limited number of people housed. In the end, suburbs exemplify selfishness, which is not a very ‘Australian’ value.

    Australia should again take a bit of inspiration from Finland, where over 40% of housing there is public housing, and homelessness is tackled due to housing being considered a human right. There should also be a lot more urban-forest-canopy street trees.


    And, Australia’s identity!

    With so many things to be proud of in Australia, including our incredibly unique biodiversity, opportunity, and identity, why do we choose to superimpose an island (Britain) on the opposite side of the planet (which is influential enough on its own) which played a role in one fragment of our 60,000 and 4 billion-year histories? That’s why we need to change our flag, to be wholly representative of Australia, and, preferably adorned with our national Green & Gold (like one proposition, which is best to ‘get exposed’ to, the Golden Wattle Flag).


    And then there are far more things than just this, including institutional things such as a federal ICAC, and perhaps even a radical change of the way democracy functions to both increase participation and people-power, and the ability of these people to work with wide-ranging experts to consider possibilities to pull together a better country into the future.
  • Nicolas Pascal
    commented 2022-03-06 16:27:41 +1100
    I’d like to see the government spend money to decarbonise the economy by promoting the uptake of electric vehicles, reduce industry dependency to gas, help farmers to use regenerative agriculture practices and invest in the electricity grid to facilitate the usage of renewable energy.


    Australia is one of the rare country with enough renewable resources to become a major exporter of low emissions electricity and green steel. The government should invest tax payers money to transition and benefits from the 21rst century while making the country more resilient to climate change risks.
  • Natalie Jeffrey
    commented 2022-02-08 13:33:46 +1100
    Renewable energy in all aspects. Disaster relief. Aged Care. Bringing our Native Animals back from the brink of extinction.
  • Simon Wells
    commented 2022-01-25 14:10:40 +1100
    This is a flagrant waste of our taxes. Pork-barreling private business.

    Dangerous energy source.

    Our money should go to encouraging new, carbon-free industries, which have more jobs anyway.


    Disgusting, corrupt, destructive
  • Trevor Shiell
    commented 2022-01-25 13:36:29 +1100
    I live in Alice Springs where there are 3 cross national highways intersect North Southe Outback way and Tanami. Addto that an international airport and cross national railway. Unique in Australia. as a Natinal transport hub but ignored. With the arrivalof electric trucks(Amazon hs 100000 on order) and the cost advantages they offer plus the environmental advantages , electrify all National transport routes using renewables.-solar charging stations etc. Phase out diesel as major truck building companies are doing and put 35 Mill into infrastructure to encourage and support this. Electric trasport s inevitable Plan now!!!!!
  • Lynette Sinclair
    commented 2022-01-25 10:47:14 +1100
    Environmental repair and regeneration, especially First Nations stewardship
  • Julie Bennett
    commented 2022-01-25 08:57:13 +1100
    I would rather see MY taxpayer money spent on supporting First Nations people working and living on country and renewable energy projects
  • Jan Fahie
    commented 2022-01-25 08:34:22 +1100
    I would rather see money spent on renewable energy projects and battery storage. In addition supporting Australianbusinesses to get off gas. As well – land stewardship programs and supporting First Nations organisation sad businesses working on country.
  • Jennifer Fitzgerald
    commented 2022-01-24 22:30:17 +1100
    Upgrade our air pollution standards to be the cleanest and the most ambitious of the OECD countries , not the worst.

    And

    government to subsidise the cost of electric cars to achieve higher standards of air quality.
  • Rosemary Blemings
    commented 2022-01-24 20:34:22 +1100
    Programs that assist those employees displaced by the ending of the mining of coal, the extraction of gas. Prospects offered these people where they live.

    Fund the stewardship and regeneration of land where there is native vegetation utilising native vegetation to support native animals and invertebrates as pest control squads for farmers’ crops. Stop “propping up”timber industries that harvest native trees.

    Supporting First Nations organisations and businesses working on Country.

    Purchase the equipment necessary for fighting bushfires.
  • Mark Rich
    commented 2022-01-24 17:24:33 +1100
  • james blacket
    commented 2022-01-24 17:18:57 +1100
    See and promote good science – CSIRO Emerging energy technologies work – patents – papers etc.
  • Marita Macrae
    commented 2022-01-24 16:22:50 +1100
    Renewable energy projects. Upgrade the whole electricity grid to function with renewables. Support community shared batteries and community power stations from renewable energy sources. Support transition to other employment for workers and communities now dependent on coal and gas industries.
  • Craig Peters
    commented 2022-01-24 16:17:53 +1100
    $50m awards to 12 battery storage projects, under the proviso that they are located in strategic grid locations in order to reduce congestion and spilled renewable generation, thus displacing coal and gas generation in the morning and evening shoulder periods and significantly increasing the holistic penetration of renewables into the energy generation mix.


    This would have the added significant benefit of alleviating, or worst case deferring, transmission and distribution projects aimed at alleviating the existing strategic congestion points in the grid. Holistically this means less $ spent on fixed infrastructure assets that make their way into the relevant Network Service Providers Regulated Asset Base, which ultimately means a lower cost to consumers, a higher renewables penetration grid, cleaner air, less emissions and less environmental warming.


    Believe me – I have given this A LOT of thought.
  • Geni.Energy
    commented 2022-01-24 16:14:11 +1100
    Help our mining families to transition and stay in our community. Help our businesses maximise savings and earnings from renewables. Create renewable powered hubs in rural areas to support new value adding opportunities for agriculture. Support soil carbon and grasslands and forest carbon capturing projects. Support Geni.Energy!
  • Wendy Hosking
    commented 2022-01-13 09:37:56 +1100
  • Denis Jones
    commented 2021-11-25 12:50:06 +1100
    Please spend tax payers money on initiatives that will embrace the land, sea and air on which we need left in optimum condition for my daughter’s children.
  • Wayne Hall
    commented 2021-11-25 11:12:22 +1100
    Spend the money on the needy and homeless people instead Government.
  • Elizabeth Conlan
    commented 2021-11-02 13:30:24 +1100
  • Wesley Huupponen
    commented 2021-10-22 00:05:32 +1100
  • Amy Harlib
    commented 2021-10-19 14:06:45 +1100
    SUPPORT FIRST NATIONS AND END THE TECHNOCRATIC TYRANNY DESTROYING AUSTRALIA! MAKE AUSTRALIA 2019 AND FREE AGAIN!
  • Karen Grifferty
    commented 2021-10-10 16:56:17 +1100
    renewable energy, disaster relief and supporting First Nation organizations working on country
  • Rachel Nb
    commented 2021-09-21 21:25:21 +1000
  • James Rooney
    commented 2021-09-14 01:24:30 +1000
  • Marie Flood
    commented 2021-09-11 12:20:09 +1000
    Burst the dinosaur bubble – listen to First Nations voices, the IPCC and Australian scientists as they explain why you must stop unconventional gas mining to protect water and food. We need a quick transition – listen to how this can happen and get on with before it’s too late.
  • Jay Ridgewell
    commented 2021-09-10 13:57:29 +1000
    A government funded revegetation and carbon-sinking economy.
  • Bel Birch
    commented 2021-08-31 08:10:07 +1000