12/05/2005 - Federal Labor
only had 53 words to say in response to the
Federal Budget on the environment - and they
were all wrong.
In a press conference that was less than
a minute long, Labor's environment spokesman
Anthony Albanese's only problem with the Budget
was something that had nothing to do with
the Budget.
Mr Albanese wrongly accused the Government
of "abolishing" the Australian Greenhouse
Office and the National Oceans Office.
The truth is that both of these world-leading
offices are distinct entities within the Department
of the Environment and Heritage.
It has taken Mr Albanese nearly seven months
to work out these two offices were moved to
the administration of the Department.
This had nothing to do with the 2005-06 Budget
- in fact it was announced by the Prime Minister
in a media release on 22 October 2004.
Mr Albanese also said there was "absolutely
nothing" in the Budget to address climate
change.
He must have missed all the climate change
measures in the 2005-06 Budget, including:
$11 million over two years to extend the
Photovoltaic Rebate Programme - a solar energy
programme that will reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by well over 300,000 tonnes;
$1 million over three years for a scoping
study into developing hydrogen fuel depots
and buses in Australia's capital cities;
$46 million over four years to establish the
Australia-Antarctic Air Link that will boost
world-leading research on climate change in
Antarctica;
$900,000 over three years to extend the Green
Stamp automotive recycling programme;
$100 million over five years for the Commonwealth
Environment Research Facilities programme
to carry out strategic environmental research,
including climate change;
$10 million towards the $100 million Renewable
Energy Development Initiative;
$3.8 million towards the $20 million Advanced
Electricity Storage Technologies measure;
$6.7 million towards the $75 million Solar
Cities Programme; and
$5.2 million towards the $14 million Wind
Energy Forecasting capability measure.
The Australian Government's total of $1.8
billion for climate change measures has Australia
among the world's leading nations in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions.
