02 November 2007
Peter Garrett MP
Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Environment
Robert McClelland MP
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
The Howard Government’s claims that Australia’s failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol won’t harm our negotiating position at the crucial UN meeting in Bali have again been discredited by instructions they have previously given to our negotiating representatives.
A joint Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Environment briefing, obtained by Federal Labor, was prepared for a key United Nations meeting on climate change. It is entitled: Brief For The Australian Delegation.
It specifically advised Australian diplomats attending the 2005 Montreal meeting to “take a low-profile role” due to Australia being a non-party to the Kyoto Protocol.
The detailed document states:
“wherever possible in preference to direct intervention … Australia should use informal avenues”.
In respect to negotiations for developed countries to cut emissions it advises
“Given our non-party status we should keep a low profile on this.”
This briefing provided the riding instructions for the Minister and Ambassador at the Monteal meeting. Those riding instructions were essentially that Australia should literally take a back seat.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Montreal was one of the largest intergovernmental climate conferences since the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 – some 10,000 participants attended. It was also the first meeting to open up post-2012 discussions.
This advice for Montreal is not the only official Government submission that shows we will be diplomatically constrained at the upcoming Bali meeting.
Another Government submission entitled Participation of Observer States in Kyoto Protocol Processes clearly states that countries which have not ratified the Kyoto Protocol “would not include a right to vote or block consensus”.
This 2006 submission states:
“Parties to the Protocol have an express legal obligation to allow Parties to the Convention to participate as observers in Protocol proceedings. The only limitation on participation is that only Parties to the Protocol can take decisions. Participation by Parties to the Convention… would not include a right to vote or block consensus.”
Australia is a Party to the Convention but not a Party to the Protocol due to our Government’s refusal to ratify it. In short we can participate in Bali, but we won’t have full voting rights.
The leaking of the 2005 briefing paper is the second embarrassing climate change leak for the Coalition in a week. We know that the Environment Minister tried and failed to convince Cabinet to ratify Kyoto on the eve of the election. We also know that by refusing to ratify Kyoto, Australia won’t have full voting rights at the upcoming Bali meeting.
If elected, a Rudd Labor Government would proceed immediately to ratify the Kyoto Protocol with Australia showing leadership to ensure that both developed and developing countries are signed up to an effective global agreement to tackle climate change.
But this can only be achieved if Australia has a seat at the table with full voting rights – this is why Labor will ratify Kyoto and why we can’t understand why Mr Howard won’t.
A Rudd Labor Government will not “keep a low profile” but put Australia front and centre on future climate change negotiations and repair our international reputation.