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Mathias Cormann's try for the job of Secretary-General of the OECD

Senator Cormann was Finance Minister in Australian federal government for seven years. He has been supportive of the government's opposition to renewable energy and determined support for the fossil fuel industry.

As reported in RenewEconomy "In the 2020 edition of the Sustainable Development Report, Australia’s score for climate action saw it rank second last, sitting 176th of 177 countries assessed". Senator Cormann played an important part in Australia getting this abysmal ranking.

In his support for the federal government's regressive climate change policies Senator Cormann has played an important part in damaging the future of the world's environment and people.

The Australian government, under PM Scott Morrison in particular, behaved highly unethically in spending many thousands of taxpayers's dollars in its attempt to get Senator Cormann a very lucrative position; it was not acting ethically, it was not acting in Australia's interests, it was acting in Senator Cormann's interests.

This page was written 2020/11/29, last edited 2024/02/22
Contact: David K. Clarke – ©
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Waterloo Wind Farm, South Australia
Wind farm
Australian federal Coalition governments' have a history of favouring of the fossil fuel industries and opposing renewable energy developments such as this one. Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor in particular has been outspoken in his determined opposition to wind power.
On the other hand the South Australian Liberal Marshall government has been very pro-renewable energy – they can see where the future of energy lies.


Senator Mathias Cormann announced in July 2020 that he would leave parliament by the end of the year.

 

Jobs for the boys

Australian governments of both major parties have a record of providing lucrative positions for retiring ministers, this attempt would have to be one of the most odious examples of these 'jobs for the boys'.
 

A personal favour

The Secretary-General of the OECD does not represent his nation, he acts as a private person. So the Australian government is spending many thousands of Australian taxpayers' dollars doing a personal favour for Senator Cormann.
In November 2020 the Australian people learned that Senator Cormann had been flown around the world in a Royal Australian Airforce plane at the Australian taxpayers' expense (probably in the vicinity of $3,000 per hour) trying to get himself the job of Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

This surely was a far greater case of corruption than Bronwyn Bishop's helicopter ride from Melbourne to Geelong, but for some reason it didn't get anywhere near the coverage in the media.

Senator Cormann's tilt at this position had the full support of the Morrison government who nominated him for the lucrative job.

As reported by the ABC "the OECD is an international organisation that works to create policies that promote economic growth and look to improve social and environmental challenges faced globally." (My emphasis)

Senator Cormann served as Australia's Finance Minister from 2013 to 2020, under the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments. In this position he has fully supported those governments in their battle to slow the development of renewable energy and prop up the polluting fossil fuel industries. He has actively fought against support for the environment.

If Senator Cormann should happen to get the job the hope of the Australian government would be that he would “advance Australia’s interests”, which, in the government’s and Cormann’s perception would be getting a few more years out of the coal export industry. This would be against the true best interests of Australia and of all life on earth.

Senator Cormann's nomination as Secretary-General of the OECD is not just a blatant case of mateship and 'jobs for the boys'; in relation to this position in particular it is quite obscene.



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