From Dess Desk...... Dear All, Possible Australian Submission to G20 on Climate Change. Today’s AFR has published my letter suggesting that Abbott use his recognition as a world leader on the MH 17 incident to make a submission to G20 on climate change. Coincidentally, Shorten is reported as wanting climate change on the G20 agenda. If Abbott is prepared to take the risk, he could make a submission along the lines suggested in my letter. The submission would not attempt to completely deny the dangerous warming thesis but would express concern that the disparity between increases in emissions and temperatures, suggests an independent inquiry is needed into the extent to which dangerous warming is occurring, and the need for such high levels of expenditure on action to reduce emissions when this is adding to budget deficits and detracting from economic growth. The latter is at the top of the G20 agenda. Hockey Exposed. Today’s Australian has caught up with the Hockey biography (it presumably did not get an advance copy like Fairfax) and Political Editor Shanahan has effectively said he has to go. “Cabinet colleagues see the Treasurer’s ratification of the book’s conclusions as a final act of self-indulgence and what must be the last act of indulgence from Abbott”. Although not recommended in the editorial, both it and The Australian’s political correspondent are also heavily critical of Hockey’s “selling” of the budget. Note that “ministers and back-benchers” have expressed concerns directly to Abbott and one suggests that he should take over the selling of the budget. This is consistent with the analysis made in my recent commentaries. By contrast, the AFR’s political editor, Laura Tingle, uses the biography mainly to criticise Abbott for announcing policies before they have been considered by Hockey or Cabinet. That criticism is fully justified but does not deal with what Hockey’s role might now be. As the biography is to be launched today, Hockey may have more to say at the launch. - Des Moore.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 09:30:42 +0000
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