Power v passion: Rudd and Garrett at odds
Tuesday, 12 December, 2006
by Phillip Coorey
Sydney Morning Herald
Mr Rudd vowed to use his new role as Labor leader to abolish the party's ban on new uranium mines at next year's national policy conference. He gave the pledge on Queensland's Coral Coast outside Bundaberg, on day two of his 10-day national tour, while standing alongside Mr Garrett, his star recruit to the climate change and environment portfolio. But Mr Garrett said he would agitate internally against any change to the policy, although he would accept whatever the party decided in April.
"I'll have the debate within caucus, go to the national conference, let the debate emerge and whatever decision is reached, I'll observe and follow it," he said.
A Newspoll out today puts Labor, under its new leader, way in front of the Coalition. In results reflecting last week's Herald/ACNielsen poll, it gives Labor a seven-point jump in its primary vote to 46 per cent. Newspoll gives Labor a 55-45 lead in the two-party preferred vote. In the preferred prime minister stakes, Mr Rudd's support of 36 per cent is up 11 points on Kim Beazley's last figure. John Howard is down 16 points to 39 per cent.
Mr Rudd and Mr Garrett both remain opposed to nuclear power, and they pledged Labor's climate change policy would set "substantial" new mandatory targets for renewable energy use. However, Mr Rudd said Labor's uranium mines policy did not make sense commercially, and "I will be delivering, I believe, through our national conference … I intend to lead it in that direction".
Mr Rudd, who wrested the leadership from Mr Beazley last week, said there was nothing wrong with him and Mr Garrett having different views.
"It's a healthy debate. We're a democratic party; we had an exercise in democracy six days ago. I don't think any of us are frightened by it. People need to become less toxic about the possibility that you can have a pretty robust debate about policy futures without thinking this creates some political fracture down the middle."
Previously, Mr Beazley supported abolishing the policy and Mr Garrett's predecessor, Anthony Albanese, wanted no change.
Mr Rudd and Mr Garrett met to push Labor's climate change policy direction, which would not include nuclear power because it was expensive and dirty. Mr Rudd said: "The whole question of nuclear radioactive waste has not been resolved. Once that's resolved, let's talk about it again." And the target for renewable energy under Labor would be well above the Government's 2 per cent at present.
In a later interview Mr Garrett said Labor was "absolutely" not going to harm the coal industry. But he said immediate action was needed, and this included using a mix of clean coal technology, gas, renewable energy, setting reduced greenhouse gas emissions targets and establishing a national emissions trading scheme.
Mr Garrett said Labor's policy would give business certainty. "We can meet our future energy needs now without taking the nuclear option."
Mr Rudd said "the time for climate change sceptics has come and gone" but the Howard Government "is full of climate change sceptics".
"Temperatures are rising, the ice caps are melting, we are having more extreme weather conditions, whether it's extreme drought or cyclones. There is now a clear alternative … a clear fork in the road on climate change."