Subject:
climate change, David Hicks
E&OE...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well ladies and gentlemen, the United Nations report on climate change is the latest and strongest confirmation of something we've known for a long time and that greenhouse gas emissions are doing damage to the earth's environment. And what it tells all governments including the Australian Government is that we must continue measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We must do it in a way that does not unfairly hurt or damage the Australian economy and destroy Australian jobs. We must be open minded and courageous enough and look at all of the options including nuclear power. There is no point in the face of such a comprehensive challenge of ruling out consideration of something that may, over time, provide part of the solution to the problem. The Australian Government has already undertaken a large number of measures that have reduced by tens of thousands of tonnes, the amount of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere. We will continue with those measures, but we will do it in a sensible, practical way which will make a contribution to solving the problem but will not do disproportionate and unfair damage to the Australian economy.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, in the wake of this report there has been renewed calls for Australia to sign the Kyoto Protocol.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well signing Kyoto is not going to solve the problem because Kyoto does not include the world's major polluters. We've moved on from that and in any event, Australia is going to meet our target under Kyoto, many of our critics who have signed Kyoto will not do so.
JOURNALIST:
The report says that action needs to be taken now, nuclear power is not short term, what can be done right now?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we can continue the measures that we've already introduced and we can also through our taskforce with the business community, examine the shape that an international emissions trading system might take, and also where that would have an impact on Australia. Now I set that task group up in the full knowledge that part of the longer term solution is to make certain that if there is an emissions trading system, it is one that is compatible with Australia's interests.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister can more be done to shoehorn, I suppose, the world's big polluters into taking the issue more seriously, given that whatever Australia may do may be miniscule in terms of the impact. Can more be done to lobby the Chinas, the Indias, perhaps the US as well?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we have already begun that process. We have signed an agreement regarding clean coal technology with the Chinese. Our energy association with China is a very important element and rather than stridently lecturing people internationally and in public, which some of the green lobbyists are prone to do and it has no impact all, we are building on our close energy partnership with China to focus jointly on things like clean coal technology.
JOURNALIST:
Doesn't this report show though that we should be putting more emphasis on renewables now?
PRIME MINISTER:
You can't run power stations on solar and wind. I mean, let's be realistic. You can only run power stations in a modern, western economy, on fossil fuel or, in time, nuclear power. And as time goes by and we make the fossil fuels cleaner, that will make them dearer to operate and therefore there will be a greater opportunity and competitive situation for nuclear power. One more question.
JOURNALIST:
Details of the charges against David Hicks have now been released how are you responding to that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they are welcome. I'm glad that the charges are being laid and that the deadline I set has been met. They are very serious charges and that is why we believe they should be dealt with as soon as possible. The delay of the last five years has been very regrettable. Some of that has been due to objections by people including Mr Hicks' advisers, but a lot of it has been due to the slow process in the United States and I am glad that it has finally come to a situation where charges are being laid. And I would encourage, in a very public way, and we'll be doing it privately, for the trial to be brought on as soon as possible so the serious charges against Mr Hicks, and they are serious, they allege that in the full knowledge of what happened on the 11th September, he rejoined the Taliban (inaudible) involved through Al Qaeda of course in the attack on the 11th September.
JOURNALIST:
But the charge of attempted murder when it's been acknowledged by the prosecution that he didn't fire a gun, isn't that extraordinary?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look you and I can't try it, we can only observe they are serious charges, and that is why it should come on and I don't intend to get into a debate about the substance of the allegations.
[ends]