Make Big Polluters Pay Their Fair Share: Tweed Shire

The "Polluter Pays" principle is simple – if you make a mess, you should clean it up.

Communities like ours are already paying the price of climate change through higher insurance premiums and increasing disaster recovery bills. Meanwhile, big coal, oil and gas corporations are making billions exporting Australia's resources, often while paying no tax and pocketing huge government subsidies.

Our community is already experiencing the impacts of climate pollution – from floods and bushfires to heatwaves and coastal erosion. Local councils are on the frontline, responsible for roads, drainage, community facilities and emergency response – but right now the costs of disasters are rising faster than council revenue.

A Climate Compensation Fund could help pay for:

• Disaster response and preparedness
• Insurance relief for disaster-hit communities
• Flood-proofed homes
• Upgraded community halls and evacuation centres
• Shaded streets and cool public spaces
• Well-resourced emergency services
• An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Climate Self Determination Fund
• Support for a just transition for workers and their families
• And much more