The federal government says it has committed $3.4 billion to the fight against climate change, but its spending so far constitutes only a tiny fraction of the federal budget, shadow environment minister Peter Garrett t told the National Press Club in Canberra today.
"This government has spent less than a $1 billion on climate change programs since 1996 but more than $2 billion on tax-payer funded political advertising," Garrett said. "Put another way, this year the government will spend about 0.05% of the $245 billion federal budget on climate change. And ladies and gentleman – 0.05 is a blood alcohol limit, not a climate change strategy."
Garrett said the imminent APEC meeting could only be judged a success if Australia agreed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol "to show good faith in the global negotiating process". Australia should also propose that APEC economies recognise the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change "as the principal forum" for climate negotiations, he said.
It should argue for a global reduction that avoids dangerous climate change and "prioritise the avoidance of deforestation", in part by dealing with trade in illegally logged timber, he said.
Garrett committed a Rudd Labor government to a $15 million Clean Energy Export Strategy that would help clean and renewable energy firms become export ready and said it would also establish a $20 million Clean Energy Enterprise Connect Centre to assist small and medium sized clean and renewable energy companies.
Address to National Press Club of Australia, 5 September 2007
