Greener than the Greens

Climate Change:

The Australian Democrats have been campaigning on climate change for 20 years. The Democrats were the ones who kicked off the Greenhouse debate in the Senate in 1988 with a private Senators Bill on Ozone Protection, 4 years before the Greens even became a party.  The Democrats have initiated and chaired two Senate reports on climate change, one in 1991 called Rescue the Future: Reducing the Impact of the Greenhouse Effect, and another initiated in 1999 called The Heat is on: Australia's Greenhouse Future, which was tabled in May 2001. This report was highly critical of the lack of action to date, and made 106 recommendations in areas of transport, emissions trading, carbon and the land, energy use and supply, climate change and Kyoto’s all of which are still relevant today. As well as forced the Government to admit in the Senate its Greenhouse research was funded by the coal industry

Forests

But that’s not all the Democrats have also be responsible for if you look at the rest of the work that they have done on protecting Australia’s forests. The Democrats introduced Australia's first world heritage legislation as well as 12 amendments to strengthen endangered species legislation. The up the Democrats  where the ones that set up the Woodchip Fighting Fund to fund court cases in WA, NSW and Vic on wood-chipping and they lead the campaign against Hinchinbrook resulting in tougher Federal conditions. It seems to me while the wackos where out in the forest camping and waving flags and smoking, the Democrats where doing the home work and putting steps in place to save the environment the right way,  the long lasting way through legislation. 

Wide Coverage

That’s not where it stops the Democrats successfully initiated a Senate inquiry into Federal environment powers as well as successfully moved 18 amendments to the Natural heritage Trust fund to make it more accountable. The Democrats also moved the first Bill to impose a night curfew on Sydney airport. And The Democrats help to established the fund with the government ($4.5 million) to investigate research into electro magnetic radiation.

So this election I am going to vote Democrat because I am really concerned about climate change. At least I know that when I vote Democrat that my vote won’t be wasted and unlike the greens they will get something done. Sure the greens look good shouting and protesting on the side lines but I want some action on climate change not just silly little sound-bites from Bob Brown.