Anthony Albanese today announced Labor would move a Private Members Bill to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to provide a climate change trigger that will ensure large scale greenhouse polluting projects are assessed by the Federal Government.

The climate change trigger will enable major new projects to be assessed for their climate change impact as part of any environmental assessment process, and will ensure that new developments represent best practice.

Anthony Albanese will introduce a Private Members Bill – the Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change (Climate Change Trigger) Bill - on Monday 5 September 2005

This announcement was made in a speech to the Australian Wind Energy Association Annual Conference in Sydney.

Labor stands for immediate action to avoid dangerous climate change.

Labor will establish a climate change trigger in federal environmental laws, ratify the Kyoto Protocol, establish a national greenhouse emissions trading scheme and establish an ambitious renewable energy target.

Clean energy technology must be supported so we can avoid dangerous climate change. Wind energy can play a critical role if Australia is to act domestically and internationally to cut greenhouse pollution.

Tragically, Australia’s wind energy industry has been battered by the Howard Government. It has refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, it has refused to increase the mandatory renewable energy target and it has refused to introduce emissions trading.

That’s meant that Australian jobs and know how have gone overseas. The wind energy industry is now at the crossroads.

In Australia there is still no national climate change strategy and the Howard Government is on track to increase its greenhouse pollution by 23% by 2020.

Instead of confusion and complacency, Australia needs action and it needs it now. The Howard Government is mismanaging Australia’s response to climate change and has left us unprepared for our great environmental challenges.

Click here to read Anthony's speech of 18 August 2005 to the Australian Wind Energy Association’s 2005 Annual Conference