[Greens-Media] Senator Milne: Howard's climate negligence costs 600 car workers their jobs

[O'Connor, Cassy (Sen C. Milne)]

Wednesday, 18 July 2007

Howard's climate negligence costs 600 car workers their jobs
 
Australian working families need look no further than Prime Minister Howard's climate scepticism and close relationship with the U.S administration to find the reason for job losses in the car manufacturing industry, Australian Greens' climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne said today.
 
"John Howard says acting on climate change will cost jobs.  600 workers will realise that the government not acting is why they are unemployed.   Cheques after the event are no substitute for anticipating trends.  Farmers in the Murray Darling Basin know this only too well.
 
"The 600 jobs lost in Geelong today are directly attributable to George Bush and John Howard's climate denial and complete failure to see the trend in the global economy is towards carbon constraint.
  
"The rest of the world recognises the need to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and our dependency on a dwindling oil supply.  Europeans are buying small, fuel efficient vehicles in increasing numbers and have set rigorous fuel efficiency standards.  Chinese and Asian manufacturers are moving rapidly into this mainstream end of the market, leaving Australian and U.S. manufacturers in ignorant bliss.
 
"Tragically, it is ordinary workers at the bottom of this corporate chain who today paid the highest price for the Howard Government's inaction.
 
"For years now, the Greens have been calling on the Federal Government to tie its generous, taxpayer-funded subsidies to the car manufacturing industry to the development of energy efficient vehicle design.  We have also called on the government to use its procurement powers to drive fuel efficient vehicle manufacture and to scrap the Fringe Benefits Tax concession that encourages higher fuel use.  Only in the past 12 months, has the government even begun to see the problem.
 
"The Prime Minister and Senator Minchin have ridiculed the Greens for holding up China as an example on fuel efficiency standards.  Perhaps now they will apologise to those Australian working families who have lost their livelihoods in Geelong because of the Howard Government's refusal to recognise the warning signs on climate change economics.

 "We cannot trust the Howard Government to run the economy in a carbon constrained world.  It has no industry policy to address the new global reality.

"The best way to rebuild the manufacturing sector in Australia is to set rigorous targets to address climate change and oil depletion, and to set high standards that drive innovations in global cutting edge technology, and jobs growth in the new carbon-constrained economy,"  Senator Milne said.
 
 
Media contact:  Cassy O'Connor 03 6224 8899   (m) 0400 628 939