[Greens-Media] MARK PARNELL MLC: Libs backdown on Bill lets Rann off climate change hook

[Greens]

6th June 2007
Media Release

Climate Change Meltdown 
- Libs backdown on Bill lets Rann off the hook


A backdown by the State Liberal Party means the Climate Change Bill
currently deadlocked between the two houses of parliament will now
progress with only weak greenhouse pollution targets.

"Martin Hamilton-Smith has given Premier Rann the mother of all 'get out
of jail free' cards.  The Upper House had backed the Premier into a
corner with his much vaunted Climate Change Bill languishing between the
two houses of parliament for two months as we tried to put some spine in
his bill," said Greens MLC Mark Parnell.

 "The State Liberal Party has clearly been told to toe the line by John
Howard. The incredible irony in all this is that John Howard and the
Rann Government were using exactly the same argument in their respective
parliaments to dismiss a 20% reduction by 2020 target.

"What a bizarre mirror of the federal debate over 'interim targets'.
While Howard was attacking Garrett, Labor here was attacking the Liberal
party stance," he said. 

One of the first statements (on ABC 891 Morning Show, 12 April 2007) of
Liberal Leader Martin Hamilton-Smith when he took over as Liberal Leader
was to say:

'...we'll stand by our decision (on a 2020 climate change target) but if
they become mandatory cuts we'll be reviewing it.'

"The cuts still won't be mandatory, so why has he changed his tune?  

"The IPCC's latest report is crystal clear - global emissions must peak
by 2015 if we are to avoid dangerous climate change.  If we accept the
science-based report from the IPCC, a 2050 target is just a distraction
- the single most important priority for decision makers from all sides
of politics is to work out how we can start reducing our greenhouse
pollution in the next 10 - 15 years.

"That makes this debate over 2020 targets critical to Mike Rann's
Climate Change Bill.  Now, because of the position of the two old
Parties, we will effectively have a Climate Change Act in South
Australia that licences this state to increase its greenhouse emissions
at the exact same time the rest of the world is saying we need to make
deep cuts.  That is simply not good enough," he said.

 
For further comment contact Craig Wilkins on 0434 007 893


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