Australia Chooses Labor: Kevin Rudd Takes Over

Incoming Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (Photo courtesy Parliament of Australia)

The Liberal government led by John Howard, riding high as Prime Minister for the past 11 years, suffered a sharp defeat and Howard may have even lost his own seat.

A close ally of U.S. President George W. Bush, Howard has kept Australia out of the Kyoto Protocol, perferring to rely on technology alone rather than on the legally binding emissions limits of the protocol.

Declaring his victory at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, Rudd said he would be a prime minister for all Australians - for indigenous Australians, Australians born here and those who came from overseas, for cities and towns and rural Australia "which is right now experiencing the worst drought our country has known."

In the environment portfolio, the Labor shadow cabinet has featured Peter Garrett, Member and Candidate for Kingsford Smith, as shadow minister for Climate Change, Environment & Heritage, Arts.

Garrett's position in the new government has not yet been determined. It is possible he will continue in the environmental portfolio, or he might be replaced by another MP.

Peter Garrett, MP for the Sydney district of Kingsford- Smith (Photo courtesyALP)

Former lead singer for the rock band Midnight Oil, and more recently head of the Australian Conservation Foundation, Garrett has served in Parliament since 2004.

Garrett's stated position on climate change does not say whether or not a Labor government would sign the next legally binding global greenhouse gas emissions treaty, but the world is soon to find out.

The election immediately precedes the United Nations annual climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia at which the framework for a Kyoto successor agreement will be attempted.

Garrett's position on climate change is criticized by Greenpeace Australia Pacific, which gave him a rating of only 1.85 out of 5 on a climate change correctness scale set by the environmental group.

Garrett supports clean coal technology, a big issue for coal-rich Australia, and especially for Greenpeace, which has several times protested Australian coal facilities.

"I support Labor's comprehensive framework for climate change, which identifies 10 key areas for action," Garrett says.

1. Restoring Australia's international leadership on climate change.


2. Developing a carbon market and reforming our institutions.


3. Leading by example through good purchasing practices.


4. Driving a clean energy revolution through a strong Mandatory Renewable Energy Target and investment in clean energy research and development.


5. Helping Australian families to green their homes.


6. Investing in cleaner businesses and creating new jobs - working in partnership with businesses to drive energy efficiency improvements.


7. Investing in sustainable agriculture and protecting our biodiversity.


8. Investing in cleaner transport, including the establishment of a $500 million Green Car Partnership to drive the use of greener, more efficient cars.


9. Preparing Australia for the future impacts of climate change.


10. Securing our future water supplies, and ensuring that 30 percent of wastewater is recycled nationally by 2015

A Rudd Government is likely to support development of more uranium mines in Australia. At the The Australian Labor Party national conference in April, delegates narrowly supported Rudd's motion to change the "no new uranium mines" policy over Anthony Albanese's motion to maintain the ban on new uranium mines.

Now Albanese as well as Garrett has been mentioned as a possiblity for the post of environment minister.

Anthony Albanese, MP for the Sydney district of Grayndler

Water scarcity is worrying most parts of the country, and the Rudd team's promises to bring forward $400 million under the $10 billion National Plan for Water Security to fast-track improvements in water efficiency, significantly invest in key water infrastructure projects and address over-allocation, resonated with voters.

The Australian Labor Party attempted to win the conservation vote with a $10 million, five year program to help save the Tasmanian Devil from possible extinction within 25 years announced just yesterday so it would be fresh in voters minds as they entered the polling stations.

"We cannot let the Tasmanian Devil - an Aussie icon and a top predator - disappear on our watch. The Tassie Devil is a top predator in the Tasmanian wild and the largest surviving carnivorous marsupial in the world," the ALP said in a statement.

Kevin Rudd shakes hands with supporters in Brisbane Friday. (Photo credit unknown)

At the polls, the Australian Greens picked up three seats for a total of five, putting them in third place in Parliament behind Labor and the fallen Liberals.

Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown, who represents the island state of Tasmania, urged an immediate investigation of a pulp mill that he warns will destroy vast swaths of Tasmanian forest.

"Whoever is Minister for the Environment next Monday, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett or another, should urgently review the huge impact of Gunns' pulp mill on Tasmania's native forests and wildlife habitat," Brown said Friday.

Turnbull, the current environment minister, permitted the mill in October, also announcing 48 conditions under which it must operate. "The conditions imposed on the pulp mill will ensure it meets the most stringent requirements of any pulp mill anywhere in the world," he said.

Brown hopes that with a change of government, the mill construction can still be stopped.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved.