John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

It is true that the Stern review, apart from analysing the climate change that is occurring and projecting the likely outcomes, recommends that there be concerted, combined and comprehensive international action to challenge this issue. That is a recommendation that the government wholeheartedly endorses. Let me simply say, however, that in pursuing that objective we will make certain that the natural advantages this country has been given by providence are not squandered. One of the great natural advantages this country has is that we are a major possessor, user and exporter of fossil fuels. It therefore follows that, if we are not careful in the implementation of our policies in relation to this issue, not only can we do great damage to our own economy but, in the process, we will not serve the interests of those who live in other countries. We do as a country have an obligation as part of the international community to play our role.

I might mention that, in pursuit of the greenhouse gas emission target set by Kyoto, this country is doing better than most industrialised countries. It is very interesting that some of the countries that presume to lecture Australia are in fact far less likely than Australia to meet their Kyoto targets. The reason why we have not signed, and will not sign, Kyoto in its present form is that it does not comprehensively embrace all of the world’s major emitters.

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