John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I was asked about a number of things, including Sir Nicholas Stern. I am just telling the member for Lilley that he is right, Sir Nicholas is right and everybody is right if they say the answer to this issue is to have all the polluters involved—and that is the reason why we have held back from Kyoto. And, unlike most of the European countries, we are going to either meet or go very near to meeting our Kyoto target. I have not only read the reports of the Nicholas Stern review; I have also read an article in the Guardianit is quite a strain for me to read the Guardian, but I have nonetheless done it—and what that article indicates is that most of the sermonisers and the lecturers on this issue, namely many of the European countries, are falling a long way short of their Kyoto targets. Despite being in many cases 50 per cent short of their targets, they are the people who are running around the world giving us a lecture. Australia will meet or go very close to meeting her target, and we will continue to hold out for an international agreement that includes everybody, because that is the only fair basis on which Australia can be included.

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