Charities’ message to the NAIF board – keep your hands off taxpayers’ money

Press release - 30 November, 2017

December 1, 2017: Board members of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) have been targeted by an alliance of not-for-profit groups in an attempt to prevent them from using more than a billion dollars in taxpayers’ money to help fund Adani’s Carmichael coal mine.

Polling released today by Greenpeace Australia Pacific reveals that 73 per cent of Australians say that mining industry executives shouldn’t be involved in deciding how to spend public money.
That polling is being placed on video billboards outside the Perth workplaces of NAIF Chair Sharon Warburton and NAIF board member Justin Mannolini, both of whom lead mining company boards despite their positions with the ostensibly independent NAIF.
Separately, pamphlets will be distributed calling on board members to immediately distance themselves from the Adani project.
“Public opinion polling has shown again and again that the majority of Australians reject this mine and now we can see that nobody wants mining lackeys deciding on how their money is spent at all,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Climate and Energy Campaigner, Nikola Casule, said.
“The message from the Australian people is clear – if you’re a mining lackey you’re compromised, and you have no place in administering public funds.
“If the NAIF board members have any sense at all they will immediately distance themselves from the terminally toxic Adani mine.”
Glen Klatovsky,
350.org
Australia deputy CEO, said it was a fundamental conflict of interest.
“How can individuals deeply invested in the mining industry make objective decisions on the use of $1 billion of taxpayer money on a fossil fuel project such as Adani? “ Klatovsky said.
“No wonder these polling results are so strong.  Australian people are rightly concerned that we are letting mining industry foxes into the taxpayer-funded chicken coop.”
ReachTel polling:
Do you think board members of institutions that decide how to allocate public funds to large mining projects should be independent of the mining industry?
Total
Female
Male
18-34
35-50
51-65
65+
Yes
73.1%
74.0%
72.2%
64.2%
77.3%
78.3%
73.9%
No
12.1%
9.6%
14.7%
16.9%
11.2%
9.5%
8.9%
Undecided
14.8%
16.4%
13.1%
18.9%
11.4%
12.2%
17.1%
Total
Liberal
The Nationals
Labor
Greens
One Nation
Australian Conservatives
Other
Undecided
Yes
73.1%
63.7%
82.4%
79.5%
89.0%
74.5%
54.4%
75.6%
64.5%
No
12.1%
18.9%
11.8%
7.2%
3.5%
17.3%
24.1%
6.5%
10.8%
Undecided
14.8%
17.4%
5.9%
13.4%
7.5%
8.2%
21.5%
17.9%
24.7%
For interviews contact:
Simon Black
Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner
0418 219 086 /