Libs Polish up Green Credentials (17-Sep-07)
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WITH the political debate over climate change intensifying, federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull will today launch a report talking up the Federal Government's environmental credentials.
The report, by Liberal think tank the Menzies Research Centre, claims that Liberal governments have a strong record on environmental protection, and aims to present the Howard Government as having been pro-environment long before Labor seized on the climate change issue.
Last night, the Government launched its multimillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded climate change campaign, and the Greens announced that high-profile athlete Sue Mahony would run as the Greens candidate against Labor's environment spokesman, Peter Garrett, in Kingsford-Smith.
The Government's $25 million campaign, How To Be Climate Clever, offers advice on reducing energy use, for example by using the sun rather than hairdryers, installing energy-efficient light bulbs and walking children to school.
The advertisement was leaked last week by independent campaign group GetUp, and there were reports the ads might have been changed to avoid using the word "clever". The Opposition has repeatedly accused Prime Minister John Howard of being a "clever" politician, with the subtext of him being tricky and untrustworthy.
The ads have run unchanged, but the Government ditched a planned mail-out of booklets, instead using the internet to promote its campaign.
Despite criticisms from environment groups that the Government has neglected the environment in most previous budgets, the Menzies report 60 years of achievement: Liberals and the environment, says spending has jumped from $500 million in 1995-96 to $4.3 billion in the 2007-08 budget.
Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has continually attacked Mr Howard for failing to tackle climate change, but the report says the Howard Government was the first in the world to establish a national agency to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
It says the Government has provided investments in clean coal technology, geosequestration (burying carbon dioxide underground) and renewable energy such as wind power, and points to the popular Mandatory Renewable Energy Target scheme leading to more than $3.5 billion of investment in renewable energy.
It also says the recent APEC meeting "provided an unparalleled opportunity for Australia to elevate key bilateral relationships" and set aspirational goals for reducing emissions.
But GetUp executive director Brett Solomon said the Government was spending millions trying to convince the electorate of its climate change credentials, when it had neglected the issue.
"The most significant opportunity that this Government has had is APEC, and it sidestepped Kyoto and introduced voluntary aspirational goals, when we really need binding targets."
- Source: The Age
