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

I think it is the job of political leaders in this country to read opinion polls but to do what they think is right for Australia. It is as simple as that. It may surprise many of those who sit behind me to know that the Leader of the Opposition has only become—how shall I put it?—an eleventh hour convert to the cause of ratifying Kyoto. Some years ago he was not quite as excited about it. In tireless research on this subject, it is amazing what you come across. Maybe there was a time when the Leader of the Opposition was influenced by these words from a person who came from his own native state of Western Australia. This is what this person had to say, writing in November 2001:

For Australia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol is to commit to a policy of decarbonisation of our industrial and export base. It is to inflict upon its people unemployment, profound economic dislocation and decline. For a nation to inflict upon itself such economic and political damage is almost unprecedented.

Those were the words of a highly successful finance minister in the Hawke and Keating government by the name of Senator Peter Walsh. I’ll tell you what: he was a lot more successful than any of you who sit opposite. He was a senior minister in a government. Let me simply say to the member for Melbourne Ports, who is a member I have some considerable respect for—through you, Mr Speaker—

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