Lucky Last – Does the PM need a new consensus on climate change?

Julia Gillard ought to be wary of climate change. Climate change has certainly lost some of its urgency in the minds of the Australian public. However, the new Prime Minister should not diminish its importance. According to the Lowy poll, 86% of Australians still believe that climate change is an issue that needs addressing, more than half of those believe it is urgent. If that’s not consensus, I’m not sure what is. Sara Phillips on ABC Environment has her say. Read More

By Sara Phillips on ABC Environment (25 June 2010):

Julia Gillard ought to be wary of climate change. Not because it might wash away coastline or dry up our farms – although it might – but because it has claimed the scalps of three party leaders in Australian politics. If she does not treat the issue carefully, there is every evidence that hers could be next.

In 2008, Kevin Rudd was our newly elected Prime Minister. He was positively shining in the opinion polls. His opponent at that time was the earring-studded Brendan Nelson, whose performance in the same polls could best be described as woeful.

Rudd, at that time, wanted to get up and running with an emissions trading scheme by 2010. He had been elected partially because of his stance on climate change. John Howard also wanted an emissions trading scheme, but wanted to introduce it in 2011. Rudd, emphasising the importance of the issue, said that this wasn’t soon enough.

The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme was just a twinkle in Penny Wong’s eye at that stage. Professor Garnaut was busy with his team working on the investigations into how such a scheme could work.

But when Nelson was attempting to demonstrate to the Australian people that he was every bit as charming, intelligent and electable as Mr Rudd, he stumbled on climate change.

Writing in The Australian, Nelson was the echo of Mr Howard when he said, “we will proceed cautiously and responsibly, and in a way that does not undermine our international competitiveness and economic prosperity for no net environmental benefit.”

It was not, apparently what Australians wanted to hear. With his popularity languishing at an all time low, it was a matter of time before Malcolm Turnbull, previously Environment Minister under Howard stalked and staked his man.

Turnbull was more magnanimous on climate change. He emphasised its importance and the need for a good emissions trading scheme. But by this stage, the CPRS was taking shape in all its much-maligned glory.

Even the architect of the CPRS, Ross Garnaut, looked at the compromise job the government had done on his blueprint and recoiled in repulsion.

Turnbull, backed by his party, refused to pass the thing.

When, at last, more concessions were made, more compromises added and more nips and tucks sutured in, Turnbull at last made ready to pass the CPRS.

And then Abbott jumped him.

Tony “climate change is crap” Abbott promised no emissions trading shenanigans and Rudd’s CPRS was left like an unwanted child on a doorstep.

The opinion polls charted Rudd’s demise from when he announced his “delay” of the unloved CPRS on April 27. Between April 18 and May 2, the Labor Party’s popularity dropped from 43 per cent to 35 per cent. Unloved it may have been, but it was Rudd’s only real measure to address the problem.

With a “growing sense of concern” about these horrible figures and the Tony Abbott scenario they represented, Gillard made her move.

However, thus far, Gillard appears not to have learned from the lessons of her predecessors. In her first speech as Prime Minister, Ms Gillard was assured and articulate. But on climate change she said was not clear about her direction. “It’s my intention to lead a government that does more to harness the wind and the sun and the new emerging technologies,” she said, but did not reveal any concrete details at this early stage.

When asked by Kerry O’Brien on The 7.30 Report last night to clarify her position in regards to climate change, she responded again with the commitment to make the most of Australia’s “great renewable resources of this land – solar and wind.” She seemed to suggest that the government would not be revisiting the emissions trading scheme before the next election.

“I also believe that if we are to have a price on carbon and do all the things necessary for our economy and our society to adjust we need a deep and lasting community consensus about that. We don’t have it now.

“That’s why I said today if elected as Prime Minister at the forthcoming election then I will take the time to reprosecute the case with the Australian community to develop that deep and lasting consensus”.

Climate change has certainly lost some of its urgency in the minds of the Australian public. However Gillard should not diminish its importance. According to the Lowy poll, 86 per cent of Australians still believe that climate change is an issue that needs addressing, more than half of those believe it is urgent. If that’s not consensus, I’m not sure what is.

Climate change is an issue that Gillard needs to be seen to be active and decisive on. She fumbles this one at her peril.

Source: www.abc.net.au/environment/