Teal MP Zoe Daniel crumbles under the reality of politics as she admits voting for $2billion fossil fuel subsidies – just seconds after claiming it was ‘misinformation’, writes PETER VAN ONSELEN
- Teals promised to end fossil fuel subsidies
- Some have now removed that promise from websites
- One Teal described her compromise as ‘terrible’
A Teal MP was left red-faced after being forced to backtrack on claims it was “misinformation” to say she had voted for up to $2 billion in new coal cuts.
The embarrassing altercation was captured on video obtained by Daily Mail Australia at a community forum in Zoe Daniel’s electorate of Goldstein on April 18 at the Hampton RSL.
Ms Daniel, who defeated Liberal MP Tim Wilson at the last election, tried to dismiss a voter’s question about why she voted for fossil fuel cuts as “misinformation or manipulation of information”.
But moments later she can be heard on the video trying to explain why she voted the way she did: ‘the bill was actually a cost of living bill that went through parliament on energy prices… it offset the energy companies for their losses,” Ms Daniel said.
She then explained that she felt uncomfortable voting for something she promised at the election she would never do, describing how it was “terrible” to do so.
Subsidies for coal-fired power stations were part of a legislative package that Teals supported despite election promises to eliminate such subsidies
“Every piece of legislation and every policy involves a compromise, which is truly a terrible compromise,” Ms Daniel told the stunned voter.
At the election, Ms. Daniel pledged to “stop subsidizing fossil fuels,” and posted the pledge for all to see on her website. However, after voting to do the opposite – as part of the Energy Price Relief Plan – and subsidize energy companies that produce fossil fuels, the Teal scrapped the pledge and changed its website instead: ‘cuts to fossil fuel subsidies’ to compensate for the decline. .
Wentworth Teal MP Allegra Spender also changed her website after supporting the bill. Before the vote, Ms. Spender’s website read: “End the government’s $11.6 billion a year in fossil fuel subsidies.”
Zoe Daniel (above) admitted to a voter that she voted for coal subsidies after initially labeling the question as ‘misinformation’
Teals were elected on a platform to end fossil fuel subsidies, but they all voted for it in December 2022 (Zoe Daniel (third from right) and Allegra Spender (far left) pictured)
After voting for up to $2 billion in such subsidies, her website was updated to read “eliminating the $10 billion the federal government spends on fossil fuel subsidies each year.”
Ms Spender defeated then Liberal MP (now Senator) Dave Sharma in the 2022 election.
All Teal MPs voted in favor of the Labor government’s bill. It was adopted by the House of Representatives on December 15, 2022.
Under the Energy Price Relief Plan, a ceiling was placed on the price of coal and gas for power generation. If the price ceiling was exceeded, coal and gas producers were compensated with subsidies.
The coalition voted against the legislation.
A figure on exactly how much has been paid to coal producers is currently unavailable as companies refuse to answer questions on the basis of ‘commercial confidence’.