Debate in the state parliament

Air hundred becomes a major topic in the state parliament

Styrian parliament (symbolic image)

(Bild: APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

Harassment of commuters or a health risk for a quarter of Styrians? The abolition of the IG-L-Hunderter caused a stir in the provincial parliament in Graz on Tuesday. Other issues: the new appointment of the board of trustees for culture and the delivery of the president of the provincial parliament.

In the current hour, the Styrian state parliament has been discussing the abolition of the Luft-Hunderter on the highways around Graz since 10 am. "Air protection Hundreds: Because the health of Styrians must come first!", the Greens put the issue on the agenda. State Health Councillor Karlheinz Kornhäusl (ÖVP) will be on hand to answer questions.

"As a doctor, he knows very well that health doesn't start with the doctor, but where we get it - with preventative care," says Sandra Krautwaschl, the first speaker from the Green Party. "Prevention should also be a cornerstone of political decisions." The IG-L-Hunderter is an instrument that "can be used flexibly" to protect the health of local residents.

"People are dying from it"
"It doesn't protect the air, it protects us humans. All the doctors you ask say it clearly: car exhaust fumes, ultra-fine particulates, nitrogen oxides and tire abrasion are poison for our bodies." Diseases such as asthma and dementia are linked to this. "Bad air makes people ill. These are hard facts." Far more people die from this than from road traffic, says Krautwaschl, and the costs to the healthcare system are rising. The time saved, on the other hand, is only one to four minutes. "What is the logic behind this? The suspicion is that this is a purely ideology-driven decision by the FPÖ."

Drivers are people too. Their health should also be more important to us than ideology.

Sandra Krautwasch, Grüne, zur Abschaffung des IG-L-Hunderters

Bild: APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU

Health councillor does not see himself as responsible
Kornhäusl - himself a doctor - replied that health was "always the top priority in my life". Of course, we need limit values and must adhere to them. "What I don't have, however, is expertise in environmental policy. I don't have the experts for this due to my departmental responsibilities. This current hour does not correspond to my possible political fields of action."

KPÖ MP Alexander Melinz raised the question of "whether it is justified to burden the health of almost a quarter of the Styrian population for so little time saved?" "You lose the time saved in the supermarket checkout queue."

"Harassment for commuters"
Michael Wagner spoke on behalf of the FPÖ. "I am grateful that this harassment will finally come to an end," he said. He accused Krautwaschl of "ideology-driven" Green politics in the federal government. There were heckles when Wagner addressed the expansion of the B 68. Wagner argued that cars had lower emissions this year than when the IG-L hundred was introduced. "The IG-L can be a thing of the past."

Armin Forstner, ÖVP, reminded the audience that the limit values had not been exceeded since 2020. Many people are dependent on cars. 22,000 fines were imposed last year - with the abolition, the province of Styria will lose two million euros, says Forstner.

"Stop the cuts"
In the afternoon, Kornhäusl is also dealing with an urgent question from the collected opposition in his role as cultural advisor. They want to "unequivocally call on Kornhäusl to ensure an adequate cultural budget, to stop the drastic cuts immediately and to fill the cultural board of trustees with knowledgeable and independent experts", they said in advance. The new FPÖ-ÖVP provincial government had dismissed the board of trustees. A demonstration by the Offensive gegen Rechts in Graz on this topic will take place on Saturday.

The SPÖ is submitting an "urgent" petition to Governor Mario Kunasek, demanding that Styria's energy policy be secured.

Extradition of Deutschmann
The provincial parliament also votes once again on the lifting of the immunity of FPÖ provincial parliament president Gerald Deutschmann. The public prosecutor's office in Klagenfurt is investigating him in a side thread of the FPÖ Graz financial affair.