The dropping of the penny
Here’s a little nugget.
There was an interesting piece in the Oz this weekend by former ACTU official and Labor MP Jennie George:
This paragraph grabbed my attention:
Australia is the only G20 country that maintains a nuclear ban. It has been 26 years since the Howard government agreed to the Greens’ amendment, a condition of proceeding with a research reactor at Lucas Heights in Sydney’s southwest. There’s no rational reason for maintaining the ban.
Hmmm. Why did the Howard government need the support of the Greens? That would be because Labor opposed the legislation in which the Greens rammed in this prohibition.
Interestingly, this prohibition was rammed into one of the many policy legisative turds left by Howard:
The Labor Opposition at the time the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) was introduced expressed significant concerns about the legislation.
Ultimately, Labor voted against the legislation in Parliament, arguing that it failed to meet the environmental and democratic standards Australia needed at the time. Despite their opposition, the Howard Government passed the Act with the support of its majority in Parliament.
Just for the record, who was Labor’s leader at the time:
Oh and shadow environment minister:
At the time the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) was introduced, the Labor Shadow Environment Minister was Kelvin Thomson. He served as the Shadow Minister for Environment and Heritage under Opposition Leader Kim Beazley.
Kelvin Thomson was a vocal critic of the EPBC Act, arguing that it did not provide sufficient environmental protections and reduced public and state government input in environmental decision-making. He played a key role in articulating Labor’s opposition to the legislation during parliamentary debates.
Government in Canberra. Always was. Always will be.
