Other Issues

5 October 2004

NT a ‘"policy free zone"

Major parties neglect NT environment –but it's not too late!

The Environment Centre of the NT (ECNT) says both major parties, particularly the CLP/Coalition, have failed to produce policies for protecting the NT's unique environment in the Federal election campaign.

ECNT Campaigns Coordinator Peter Robertson said that while both major parties were focussing quite strongly on the environment elsewhere around Australia, there is an almost complete lack of official party policies or commitments specific to the NT –– which makes up about one sixth of the Australian continent!

The CLP, the NT's representative in the Liberal/National Coalition, is particularly lacking in environment policies for the NT, which is very disappointing for a NT-based party.

Apart from now saying that there will be no national nuclear waste dump on mainland NT, neither the CLP nor the Coalition as a whole has announced or published any environment policies or commitments for the NT.

Not only does the CLP/Coalition have no published environment policies or commitments addressing the NT, the CLP candidate did not even bother to respond to the environment questionnaire ECNT sent to the four main parties contesting the seat of Solomon.

At least Labor has published a Northern Australia policy which has a short section on protecting the ‘"special environment" of Northern Australia. However the environment commitments given are generally vague and unfunded. The ALP commitment to ratify the Kyoto protocol is welcome news for the NT.

The ALP candidate for Solomon also responded to the ECNT questionnaire on NT environment issues including global warming; the Daly River; gas-related industrialisation and Glyde Point; shark finning; weeds and GMO cotton, and; nuclear issues.

The other main parties, Greens and Democrats, have several major policies, and questionnaire responses, addressing the NT environment including global warming, biodiversity, landclearing, rivers and nuclear.

The good news is, it's still not too late for the major parties to announce some environment policies for the NT!”

For further information contact ECNT:
Phone: 08 8981 1984
Email: ecnt@octa4.net.au

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