The Federal Government today released its green paper on climate change.
Addressing the National Press Club, the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, said the Green Paper “sets out options and identifies the Government’s disposition and preferred positions on emissions trading and the support proposed to help households and businesses adjust to this economic transformation.”
Click the PLAY button to listen to Senator Wong’s Address:
In a statement, Senator Wong said:
“At the heart of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is emissions trading, in which the Government sets a limit on how much carbon pollution industry can produce, and then the Government sells permits up to that limit, creating an incentive to look for cleaner energy options.
“Companies can buy and sell permits from each other depending on how much they value them, thereby enabling the market to find the most efficient ways to reduce carbon pollution.”
The Treasurer, Wayne Swan, has addressed the National Press Club, in Canberra, on the 2008-09 Federal Budget.
The post-budget address to the Press Club is a political tradition. The Opposition Leader, Brendan Nelson, will address the club on Thursday.
Click the play button to listen to Wayne Swan’s address:
I want to do something a little unusual at the outset and also thank the good people of the Commonwealth Treasury. What an extraordinary team of talented, committed, hard working people. It’s been a real honour to work with them on this Budget.
As you know, about 16 or 17 hours have passed since we handed it down – the first of a new Government, and a new era. It’s the inflation?fighting, future?investing Budget the nation needs.
By now, you’re familiar with the initiatives, with the decisions we took, the important forecasts, and the like. I don’t want to repeat all that today. FULL REPORT
Mr Speaker, I move that the Bill now be read a second time.
Introduction
This Budget is designed to meet the big challenges of the future.
It is a Budget that strengthens Australia’s economic foundations, and delivers for working families under pressure.
It is the responsible Budget our nation needs at this time of international turbulence, and high inflation at home.
A Budget carefully designed to fight inflation, and ensure we meet the uncertainties of the future from a position of strength.
A Budget with a $55 billion Working Families Support Package at its very core.
A Budget that begins a new era of strategic investment in Australia’s future challenges and opportunities.
And a Budget that helps plan, finance and secure Australia’s long?term national security and defence needs.
These are the commitments the Government gave to the Australian people at the election. Mr Speaker, this Budget honours those commitments.
The Government has made sure every single cent of new spending for the coming year has been more than met by savings elsewhere in the Budget.
Our commitments have been honoured by redirecting spending. Difficult spending cuts have helped fund our Working Families Support Package and our new priorities for the nation.
We are budgeting for a surplus of $21.7 billion in 2008?09, 1.8 per cent of GDP, the largest budget surplus as a share of GDP in nearly a decade.
This honours and exceeds the 1.5 per cent target we set in January, without relying on revenue windfalls.
It is a surplus built on substantial savings of $33 billion over four years, including $7 billion in 2008?09 alone.
And it is a surplus built on disciplined spending, with the lowest real increase in Government spending in nearly a decade; spending growth which is one quarter of the average of the previous four years.
Mr Speaker, we need a strong surplus to anchor a strong economy; to do our bit to ease inflationary pressures in the economy; to build a buffer against international turbulence; and so we can fund ongoing long term investment in the ports, roads, railways, hospitals, universities and vocational education we need, to deliver growth with low inflation into the future. FULL REPORT
This is the text of Kevin Rudd’s Address Opening the 2020 Summit in Canberra.
Australians one, Australians all.
I too begin by acknowledging the first peoples of our nation.
Just as I welcome all of you to this, the nation’s capital, to this, the nation’s Parliament.
To this, the great meeting place of our common democracy, Australia.
The place from which we your elected representatives seek to navigate our nation’s future.
Today we are trying to do something new.
Today we are throwing open the windows of our democracy, to let a little bit of fresh air in.
Rather than pretending that we the politicians of Australia have all the answers, and the truth is, we don’t, we are turning now to you, the people of Australia. FULL REPORT
In March, John Howard visited Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where I am a Master of Public Policy student. Howard began his visit with a formal address on Australia/China relations. About 250 Harvard students and staff assembled in the school’s famous John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum to listen.
Howard reflected on his term as a period of deepening integration between Australia and China, evidenced by growing trade between the two countries. He framed the relationship in pragmatic terms, which drew a contrast to the familial bonds he described between Australia and the US. FULL REPORT
Cuba’s President Fidel Castro has announced his resignation, after 48 years in power.
The Communist Party leader issued an extraordinary statement on the website of the party’s newspaper, Granma.
Message from the Commander in Chief
Dear compatriots:
Last Friday, February 15, I promised you that in my next reflection I would deal with an issue of interest to many compatriots. Thus, this now is rather a message.
The Federal Opposition’s Julie Bishop has given an extraordinary press conference in which she attempted to justify the coalition’s decision not to to oppose the government’s legislation abolishing WorkChoices.
