Role of Government

Private enterprise does millions of things very well. It plays by the rules of survival of the fittest and reduces the need for government to run day to day activities.

However business does not have any pressure to look after common property, or the long term future. Issues such as health, environment, or a society's culture need to be protected by government on behalf of society.

Government needs to draw up the rules. Most business will be happy to work within the rules a long as their competitors are too. Business people are citizens too and just want a stable level playing field.

  

Political beliefs, lobbying, donations, and corruption

Politicians are humans, and prone to human weaknesses like the rest of us. Their reasons for in-action on climate change may be due to any of this list:

  1. Their beliefs - they may genuinely believe there is no problem with CO2

  2. They may be pandering to the ignorant to gain their votes. There are so many of them

  3. They may have been lobbied by a string of professional lobbyists with convincing arguments and finally succumbed to pester power.

  4. They may be obliged to act in the interests of those companies making political donations for their election - (Is this not a bribe?)

  5. The government may own coal mines and power stations that contribute revenue

  6. They may be corrupt and taking money from the industry.

It is very hard to argue against business = jobs = happy voters = good for the country = re-election. 

Too often this leads to laws that maintain the status quo.

  

Political donations

The term political donations refers to gifts to a politician, a political party, or an election campaign.

In Australia, the majority of political donations come in the form of financial gifts from corporations,[1] which go towards the funding of the parties' election advertising campaigns. Donations from trade unions also play a big role, and to a lesser extent donations from individuals. Donations occasionally take the form of non-cash donations, referred to as gifts-in-kind.

The Australian Electoral Commission regulates donations to political parties, and publishes a yearly list of political donors.[2] Donors can sometimes hide their identities behind associated entities.[2] Wikipedia

  

Election funding by government

Australian Electoral Commission