Fed: Howard says he put climate change on COAG agenda

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2007
Fed: Howard says he put climate change on COAG agenda

CANBERRA, April 11 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard has moved to outflank the state
Labor governments on the environment ahead of Friday's Council of Australian Governments
(COAG) meeting in Canberra.

With green issues shaping as a major election issue Mr Howard today told reporters
he was putting climate change on the COAG agenda.

"I have put climate change on the agenda and I'll be talking about the emissions trading
taskforce that we established and a number of other things that are relevant to this issue,"

Mr Howard said.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change released a major report last
week warning of catastrophic damage to Australia unless more is done to tackle global
warming.

"I think we should have an intelligent discussion about climate change because there
are roles and responsibilities for both levels of government in relation to climate change,"

Mr Howard said.

Australia's worst drought in one hundred years, is also the subject of debate in COAG.

Victorian Premier Steve Bracks is still refusing to ratify the federal government's
$10 billion plan to reconstruct management of the Murray Darling Basin.

AAP pv/sb/cp/de

KEYWORD: CLIMATE HOWARD

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