[Greens-Media] MEDIA RELEASE - SENATOR CHRISTINE MILNE - PM Howard fails leadership test on climate change

[Willis, Katrina (Sen C. Milne)]

MEDIA RELEASE

Tuesday, 29 August 2006

PM Howard fails leadership test on climate change

Prime Minister John Howard's refusal to act on climate change in the
face of overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates he is unfit to
lead the country, Australian Greens climate change spokesperson Senator
Christine Milne said today.

"True leadership requires the ability to face serious challenges and to
act on them in order to secure the best interests of the people and the
nation. John Howard simply hasn't got the capacity to do this," Senator
Milne said.

"The Prime Minister loves the defence forces and can understand
conventional warfare. He was prepared to commit Australian troops to
Iraq with no evidence of weapons of mass destruction but he is not
prepared to commit the resources necessary to confront the greatest
security threat of our time - climate change.

"The Prime Minister's excuse for not acting is that cuts by Australia
would be negated by China's growing emissions. But he knows Australia's
emissions are significant, Australia being the 11th highest emitter in
the world, and the largest per capita.

"I welcome the fact that Australian business has caught up with global
opinion and has been calling on the government to put a price on carbon
to provide the incentive for businesses to invest in reducing greenhouse
gas emissions.

"Even Environment Minister Ian Campbell accepts the scientific
assessment that we need to reduce emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 to
avoid irreversible, catastrophic climate change. 

"Contrary to Prime Minister Howard's claim that such cuts would harm the
Australian economy, a report released by the Business Roundtable on
Climate Change this year showed a marginal difference in percentage GDP
growth between business-as-usual and early action.

"The government's focus on geosequestration as the best economic
solution to climate change has been exposed by the Prime Minister's
admission that the government has no cost-benefit analysis of this
unproven technology.  

"The Prime Minister's decision to forgo $36.7 billion over the next four
years by way of personal income tax cuts mostly to high earners can now
be seen as reckless irresponsibility. Those funds should have been
redirected to investing in our capacity to address climate change and
oil depletion."

Contact: Katrina Willis 03 6234 4566 or 0437 587 562


Katrina Willis
Adviser
Senator Christine Milne
Phone 03 6234 4566
Fax 03 6234 2144
Mobile 0437 587 562
www.christinemilne.org.au