Opposition should ask Queen to sack Howard govt

Opposition should ask Queen to sack Howard government

WA Rights group Project SafeCom, in response to news reports that CSIRO scientists have been gagged in speaking out on environmental emergencies, and in response to Crikey reports published last week - with more revelations about the "Mafia" of the Coal Industry coming through ABC Four Corners' Report tonight - suggested this morning that Opposition leaders - Greens, the ALP and the Democrats, should urgently join in a joint action, declaring an unprecedented "State of Emergency" in Australia as the Southern hemisphere's major polluter, and make representations to the Queen and the Governor-General, requesting for the immediate sacking of the Howard government over the now familiar "con-man methods" Howard has once again employed, on this occasion to silence the planetary emergency of climate change.

Crikey reported last week about the massive payments to the Liberal party funds and other ways of ensuring that Coal remains Australia's major energy, by what Crikey calls "the Big Four coal kings - Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Xstrata and AngloAmerican".

This morning Fairfax reports that senior scientists at the CSIRO were not just snubbed by the government, but that their membership of the Australian Climate Group made their views unwelcome in the circle of the Howard government.

And tonight's ABC Four Corners program calls the fossil fuel lobbyists as "in bed" with the Howard government, calling them "The Greenhouse Mafia", stating that "a whistleblower steps forward with claims that industry representatives have burrowed deep inside the federal bureaucracy in a successful bid to hijack greenhouse policy."

"The combination of these three revelations," said Project SafeCom's spokesman Jack H Smit, "paired to this weekend's criticism of Australia's failure to recognise the Pacific urgency of Climate change by Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu, sets an unprecedented context in place, not just for Australia's obligation to Climate Refugees from Pacific nations, but more importantly because the Howard government has replaced its preparedness and ability to allow open-eyed and seriously disturbing research into how we destroy our region of the planet, with notions of "graft" and "corruption" by the big players of environmentally damaging industries."

"While Pacific nations are clearly calling on the help of the Australian government - in this case the PNG Minister refers to the World Bank report "Not If But When", and while Labor has released a report calling on the government to take action, Howard does what he is best at: getting in bed with the big industry players, manipulating the facts, receiving big donations cheques from big business, while wooing Australians to trust him, suggesting all is fine and well."

Australian opposition parties should join to declare a State of Emergency and demand an immediate halt to Australia's use of coal as one of the country's worst forms of fossil fuels."

"But worse than that: we know Mr Howard from his covert use of the Defense signals Directorate to spy on the Norwegian government and from eavesdropping on lawyers taking him to the courts over the Tampa refugees, we know him from the "children overboard", and we know him from manipulating Australians for his own party-political interests."

"Mr Howard will stoop to anything, and he is happy to use "con-man methods", but on this occasion it's not about a boatload of refugees. This time the future of the planet and the future of human survival is at stake. A visit to the Queen from Mr Beazley, Senator Bob Brown and by Democrats' leader Senator Lyn Allison is small fry compared to what this government is culpable of and what Australia needs to embark on to reverse climate change and destruction of the ecological balance of the planet."

"Get this man sacked and get this government sacked, and let's have a government that has open eyes, an honest way of briefing and educating all Australians and let's have a government with a clear conscience in a new way forward: enough is enough," Mr Smit concluded.

Online reports:

Totally addicted to coal

crikey.com.au
By Stephen Mayne
10 February 2006

[....]

Coal and Canberra have been close for decades, although the Big Four coal kings - Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Xstrata and AngloAmerican - don't appear directly in the 2004-05 political donations figures. But the connections are still there if you know where to look.

http://crikey.com.au/articles/2006/02/10-1132-987.html

Scientists bitter over interference

The Age
By Jo Chandler
February 13, 2006

A FORMER CSIRO senior scientist and internationally recognised expert on climate change claims he was reprimanded and encouraged to resign after he spoke out on global warming.

[....]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/scientists-bitter-over-interference/2006/02/12/1139679479548.html

Time running out for Pacific climate change strategy

Sydney Morning Herald
By Cynthia Banham
February 13, 2006

A WORLD BANK report has warned that climate change will have a huge impact on Pacific islands, and has cautioned against adopting a "wait and mitigate" approach to the looming crises that are expected to affect the region.

[....]

http://smh.com.au/news/national/time-running-out-for-pacific-climate-change-strategy/2006/02/12/1139679480802.html

PNG criticises Australian climate change stance

ABC ONLINE NEWS
Sunday, February 12, 2006. 8:00am (AEDT)

Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu says he is disappointed that Australia has not recognised the damage climate change is having on Pacific island nations.

[....]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1567806.htm

PNG minister issues climate warning

The Age
February 10, 2006 - 3:12PM

Australia and the United States must recognise the damage climate change will cause in Pacific Island nations and take the issue seriously, Papua New Guinea's foreign minister has warned.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/PNG-minister-issues-climate-warning/2006/02/10/1139542385663.html
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