[Greens-Media] Wong takes Howard-era tactics to Poznan

[Hollo, Tim (Sen C. Milne)]

Wong takes Howard tactics to Poznan; Marathon demands huge effort from beginning to end

Hobart, Sunday 7 December 2008

The Australian Greens today warned that the Rudd Government's Howard-era negotiating tactics at the Poznan climate conference risk scuttling any effective global climate change treaty.

The Australian delegation in Poznan is continuing to chair meetings of the "Umbrella Group", the negotiating bloc including the USA, Canada, Japan and Saudi Arabia, which is the main grouping holding back progress towards an effective agreement.

The Rudd Government's refusal to commit to the minimum negotiating range of 25-40% emissions cuts by 2020 is already being seen as a blockage to a successful outcome.

“When Australians elected the Rudd Government 12 months ago, they were voting for an end to Howard-era climate politics,” Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Climate Change Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, said.

“Those voters will be deeply troubled to find out that Australian negotiators are in fact continuing Howard-era tactics in the global treaty negotiations.

“It is well past time for Australia to abandon the Umbrella Group's sabotaging tactics and move into the progressive side of the global climate negotiations."

Senator Milne also expressed concern about Minister Wong's dismissal of the urgency of climate action on ABC TV's Insiders program this morning, saying that climate change is a marathon, not a sprint.

“Minister Wong is wrong to say that climate change action is a marathon – it is actually a sprint since we are in a global emergency and we only have until 2015 for global emissions to peak.

"But regardless of whether you see it as a sprint or a marathon, Minister Wong seems to have a disturbing view of what the metaphor might mean for what we have to do.

“You don't win a marathon or a sprint by dawdling at the back of the pack, pretending that the race isn't that hard, and all the while attempting to sabotage those who are in the lead.

“You win both races by making sure you are in the leadership group from the start, acknowledging how serious the challenge is, and giving it your all from beginning to end."



Tim Hollo
Media Adviser
Senator Christine Milne
0437 587 562