CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT OF A SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
AT THE LAUNCH OF " PERSONAL ACTION GUIDE FOR THE EARTH"
PARLIAMENT HOUSE 5 JULY 1989
For anyone concerned about the future wellbeing of the
environment, the roll call of contemporary environmental
problems is daunting: Chernobyl, the Exxon Valdez, the
Amazon basin, acid rain, the depletion of the ozone layer,
the greenhouse effect.
In our own country, land degradation, soil erosion, the loss
of tree cover, salinisation, the pollution of our harbours
and bays loom as issues that demand our attention and
action.
Our ancestors on this planet may have thought the earth and
sky were limitless in what they could give and take. We
know that the truth is a good deal harsher.
But however complex and deepseated may be the causes of
these environmental threats we face, despair is not the
answer.
We need to recognise that we have a common responsibility
for resolving these issues.
If we work together in a sensible way, we still have ample
time to achieve an ecologically sustainable world economy,
in which legitimate demands for growth and conservation can
both be met.
If one nation pollutes the air or the oceans, or squanders
its irreplaceable legacy of plants and animals, that
represents a loss not just for that nation, but for all of
us. We can't solve these problems by ourselves but we must
solve them together.
It's a responsibility that Governments, industries and
individuals must shoulder together.
This policy of environmentally sustainable development was
first addressed comprehensively by the United Nations' world
Commission on Environment and Development, known also as the
Brundtland Commission. Established in 1983., the Commission
was asked to address the question of how such development
could be achieved by both the developing and the developed
world. The main thrust of its final report, published as our Common
Future, was that environmentally sound development72riT nt
mean no development, and that environmentally destructive
development can only undermine the future of an economy.
My Government strongly supports these arguments.
The Federal Government already has a proud record of action
to save the Australian environment from economically
inappropriate development.
we ensured the Franklin Dam was not built so that the
grandeur of the Tasmanian wild rivers was not sacrificed to
an unnecessary hydro-electricity project.
we decided the Wesley Vale pulp mill should not go ahead as
proposed not because we didn't want to see the economic
advantages it promised, but because we were not prepared to
achieve those advantages at the cost of unacceptable
environmental damage.
we have extended the Kakadu National Park and Great Barrier
Reef Marine Park, and achieved World Heritage Listing for
Kakadu Stage II, Queensland rainforests and Tasmanian
forests, ensuring their natural qualities will be preserved
for all time.
We have recently provided nearly $ 8 million for research
into the Greenhouse Effect.
we are now engaged on a new effort to save the last
wilderness continent Antarctica.
Australia has refused to sign the Antarctic Minerals
Convention because we did not believe that mining or oil
drilling is consistent with protection of the Antarctic
environment. we are seeking instead a comprehensive Antarctic environment
protection convention and the creation of an International
Antarctic Wilderness Reserve.
On my recent overseas trip I secured the support of France
in this endeavour. Germany and Hungary said they will
consider our proposal carefully. India has already
expressed its support. There are indications of a
favourable response from Stockholm, Brussels and Rome. It
is my profound belief that there is going to be an
acceleration of world opinion on this issue which will come
in behind the position that the Australian Government is
adopting.
Later this month I will be releasing a statement on the
environment which will announce new initiatives to harness
Government action to save the environment.
So this Government has every reason to be proud of its
environmental achievements.
But change cannot be achieved by governments alone.
Governments need the support of the community of
individuals who, by their myriad separate actions, are also
doing what they can to protect our environmental heritage.
That is where this Guide comes in. Its title tells it all:
it is a guide for personal action to save the earth.
The suggestions for action made in the Guide range from
small changes to our habits at home and at work; through
using our powers as consumers to alter the practices of
manufacturers; to lobbying governments to take measures to
combat bad planning and pollution.
All of these actions are important for achieving the goal of
an ecologically sustainable future. Not everyone will find
all the suggestions appropriate, but most of us will find
many that are. Many will save money as well as helping to
save the environment.
The booklet also lists an extensive range of organisations
that can give more practical advice on what is suggested.
I pay tribute to the Commission for the Future for producing
this booklet.
When my Government established the Commission for the Future
in 1986, we gave it a charter to act as a focus for raising
the community's understanding of science and technology and
how they affect our lives.
Its aim was to inform all Australians about the options
available for us to choose for the future.
By producing the " Personal Action Guide for the Earth" the
Commission is fulfilling that charter by showing us what we
as individuals can do to create a future which is
environmentally sustainable.
I note with pleasure that the booklet practises what it
preaches it is printed on 100% recycled paper. The
Government is already looking at ways in which we, as a
Government, can move to greater use of recycled paper.
There is no doubt that this booklet will generate a great
deal of comment in the media and in the community generally.
I p The issues that are involved now in the consideration of the
environment are, I believe, becoming increasingly apparent
to all people in our community. No longer can it be said
that concern about the environment is the preserve of those
who have in the past been described as the fanatics, those
who are way out of the mainstream.
It's increasingly obvious, in this country and overseas,
that concern with these issues now crosses political
boundaries; it crosses age boundaries; it crosses
socio-economic boundaries. Because, very simply, what
people increasingly understand is that we are talking about
whether we are going to be able to pass on to our children,
and to their children, a world which is safe and
sustainable.
And when we understand that those are the issues, then of
course it becomes quite apparent that the concern for these
matters crosses all boundaries. It's in that sense that I
think everyone is increasingly coming to the understanding
that this is a matter not just for governments it is for
governments-not just for industries it certainly is for
industries but it is also a matter for each and every one
of us.
If we all just do two or three little things to help protect
our environment things that we hadn't done before and if
that impact is multiplied by the millions of people in this
country, and if we get the same concept going around the
world, then we will have done something that we should do:
we will be creating and passing on a better and a safer
world.