In short:
Properly manage Australia's finite resources – both renewable and non-renewable
- Conduct regular and full public audits of Australia's renewable and non-renewable resources
- Implement strategic resource depletion protocols and usage rights for non-renewable resources, including minerals
- Implement domestic energy reservation policies for relevant resources, including natural gas
Related Policies
Policy Objective
Properly manage Australia's finite resources – both renewable and non-renewable - so as to better protect our environment, enhance economic and social security, encourage the highest priority uses and leave a fair share for future generations of Australians.
Policy Actions (Federal & State)
To support this objective, Sustainable Australia Party will:
- Establish a national sustainability-focused management framework to underpin natural resource industries, incorporating a scientific knowledge base with efficient monitoring programs
- Conduct regular and full public audits of Australia's renewable and non-renewable resources
- Implement strategic resource depletion protocols and usage rights for non-renewable resources, including minerals, that publicly report the size and quality of remaining reserves, and limit the rate of their utilisation to an appropriate annual quota to ensure that substitution or efficiency gains can keep pace with depletion rates (1)
"Everything from electric cars to wind turbines and solar panels... require an array of metals, like silver, palladium, platinum, copper, aluminium and rare-earths, such as neodymium. So where will we get them from? Will we have enough?" Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Implement domestic energy reservation policies for relevant resources, including natural gas, to help secure long term energy supplies, maintain downward pressure on domestic energy prices and protect our environment from over-development (2)
"Australia has been 'uniquely stupid' in allowing companies to dig up resources that belong to the Australian people and sell it overseas, without even ensuring there would be enough gas to cover our own use." News.com.au
- Adopt a Resource Super Profit Tax for iron ore, coal, oil and gas, the details of which would be determined following the implementation of a full resource audit and depletion protocol policy (also see Taxation Policy)
- Establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund to invest royalties from mining, gas and other natural resources for long-term national benefit (also see Taxation Policy)
- Selectively utilise government revenue generated from the depletion of resources to advance appropriate sustainability goals
- Slow population growth then stabilise Australia’s population size as soon as practicable (also see Population & Immigration (Australia) policy)
Footnotes:
- Depletion protocols publicly report the size and quality of remaining reserves, and limit the rate of their utilisation to an appropriate annual quota to ensure that substitution or efficiency gains can keep pace with depletion rates.
- Domestic energy reservation policies help secure long term energy supplies and maintain downward pressure on domestic energy prices.