Monday, 11 December, 2006

ABC News Online

Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd and his environment spokesman, Peter Garrett, are campaigning in Queensland as part of what Labor has dubbed a "listening tour".

Mr Rudd is in Bundaberg today, while his deputy, Julia Gillard, has visited a Tweed Heads dental clinic.

During a radio interview this morning, the Labor leader intervened when Mr Garrett was questioned about a local water issue.

The interviewer asked: "The Government's Traveston Crossing dam is before the Federal Government - do you support the proposal?"

Mr Garrett appeared unsure of where Traveston Crossing was.

"The dam that they want to build outside Queensland, outside of Brisbane?" he asked.

"No, the Traveston Crossing dam," the interviewer answered, before Mr Rudd intervened.

"It's the one up the road here which is the matter of some controversy," the Opposition Leader said.

"I think the debate which we'll have ourselves on Traveston is this - we need to get ourselves properly briefed from the State Government on the arguments in support of the proposal.

"We'll be doing that in the weeks ahead. It'll take a bit of time.

"Once we've done that, we'll come back to you."
Renewable energy

Mr Rudd is making climate change a major focus of his national tour and today, along with Mr Garrett, visited a beach near Bundaberg to highlight the issue of rising ocean levels, from which he says coastal communities are under threat.

The Opposition Leader says Labor remains opposed to nuclear power as a way of fighting greenhouse gases and climate change.

But he is committed to changing Labor's policy so Australia can export more uranium.

"It will be delivered, I believe, through our national conference," he said.

"I intend to lead it in that direction when it comes to the change of what's called the three-mines or no-new-mines policy.

"The no-new-mines policy, in my judgement, does not make a lot of sense for the simple reason that if new mines are constructed, we've got to be mindful of sovereign risk on the part of external investors."

Mr Rudd says Labor should not be afraid of the uranium debate.

"I think 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 sort of political fracture down the middle," he said.

"That's the way in which we intend to conduct ourselves."
Solar power

Mr Rudd also vowed to do more on renewable energy, saying a Labor government would increase the renewable energy target.

But he says the party is yet to determine what that target will be.

"We've got to be serious about renewable energy," he said.

"This is a country rich in sunshine - we need to do more with solar and I'm on that bus.

"Let's just see where our research comes to in terms of the actual MRET [Mandatory Renewable Energy] target.

"But let me tell you, Peter and I, and others, will be working very carefully on that in the weeks and months ahead."