It’s not often I find myself in agreement with Wayne Swan, but then again, it’s even rarer when I see eye-to-eye with Greenpeace.
WAYNE Swan has labelled “deplorable” a full-page advertisement taken out in Asian newspapers by environmental groups urging readers not to invest in Australia.
The ad in the Asian Financial Times headed “Don’t sink your profits into the Great Barrier Reef” warns that the expansion of the coal-mining industry leading to more coal ships travelling through the reef is opposed by most Australians.
“I think that’s deplorable and it should be condemned, and I do condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” said the Treasurer.
Guess who?
The ad is co-sponsored by Greenpeace, Banktrack and GetUp! Australia and is authorised by GetUp! director Simon Sheikh.
With Ivan Glasenberg warning of Australia’s growing sovereign risk, this isn’t helpful. Once again, the radical environmentalists prove their preference for keeping the environment pristine over anything that can bring prosperity and eliminate poverty. It is just like the opposition to the development of the Kimberley and the advocacy of the Wild Rivers legislation.
Then again, this is Wayne Swan.
“We’ve had to pull the Queensland government into line on that question this week, we certainly don’t need to see this sort of obnoxious behaviour from Greenpeace.”
Apart from areas of common interest like the Murray-Darling Basin, why can’t we just leave all environmental regulation to the states?
Climate Nonconformist 