Environmental measures have been cut in week’s Budget announcement.

The Federal Government has slashed investment in responding climate pollution, with spending of $3 billion In 2017-18 to drop to $1.6 billion the following year, and drop again to a just $1.25 billion in 2021-22.

The Budget allocations does include any more funding to the Emissions Reduction Fund, and the Treasurer has used his budget speech to confirm the government will stick to its low 2030 pollution reduction targets.

The Federal Government has kept the National Energy Guarantee proposal alive, but has given no indication about how it will cut rising pollution from rising from transport, heavy industry and agriculture.

Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) economist Matt Rose says the budget favours polluters.

He said the government has given fossil fuel companies the “special treatment” and  “actually paying big mining and big agricultural companies to keep burning diesel, pumping out pollution and damaging our climate”.

ACF’s analysis says fuel tax credit subsidies will cost the Australian people $6.9 billion in public money next year, and $29.9 billion to 2021-22.

“Coal mining companies alone will receive over $1 billion a year in diesel fuel subsidies over the forward estimates,” Mr Rose said.

“This government has chosen to slash environmental spending by 37 per cent since 2013-14 – even through the overall federal budget has actually increased by 18 per cent.”