Australians voted today in a federal election and after 11 years of the Conservative Howard government have voted for change and a new Labor government.
Labor went to the electorate very clearly stating that if it won, it would ratify the Kyoto Protocol – something Prime Minister John Howard has resisted.
A Rudd Labor Government has also promised to:
• Finish the most comprehensive review of the costs for Australia of climate change (the Garnaut Review);
• Establish a 20 per cent renewable energy target to be achieved by 2020;
• Finalise the design of a national emissions trading scheme;
• Establish a $500 million fund to boost Renewable Energy; and
• Establish a $500 million fund for the development of Clean Coal technology.
My congratulations to Labor leader Kevin Rudd with his swing of about 6% but in particular my congratulations to my brother Jim Turnour who has won the Far North Queensland seat of Leichhardt with an incredibly large swing of more than 14%.
My brother Jim and his wife Tiffany.
I would also like to congratulation my friend Shane Neumann for his win in the seat of Blair.
Incredibly it looks like the Prime Minister John Howard has lost his seat of Bennelong to high profile ex-ABC journalist Maxine McKew.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.