Howard's meaner, ungreener nation
Prime Minister John Howard will go down in history for having made
Australia a nastier and more environmentally backward nation, Greens leader Bob Brown said today.
Today's Herald/Age Poll shows that most Australians recognise John
Howard as demeaning, environmentally backward and wrong on Iraq,
Senator Brown said.
"Today's revelation that the government censored a climate change report recommending greater leadership will endorse
the public perception. John Howard is an environmental ogre. His is directive rather than collective
anti-environmentalism."
Under his rule:
* The Kyoto Protocol has been ignored
* no substantial action has been taken against Japanese whaling
* Tasmania's native forests are being logged at faster rates than in any previous decade
* coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef has had no prime ministerial acknowledgement
* the Murray River's flow has declined to record lows
* fast efficient public transport has failed
* the government has ignored calls for simple sensible legislated controls on:
o banning fast food advertisements on children's television viewing times
o 6 billion plastic bags being distributed free each year
o complete roll-out of unsniffable petrol in Central Australia
o the export of uranium (China is about to import Australian uranium)".