Kyoto News Flash - It's time, Australia will Ratify

Attention the rest of the world: There is an exciting development in Climate Change politics (it's such a wrong term, a bushism from memory.)

John Howard is most likely going to lose the Australian Federal Election next week. His opponent Kevin Rudd has declared his first task as a new Prime Minister will be to ratify the Kyoto protocol. This is the team with Peter Garrett (of Midnight Oil fame) as (shadow) Environment Minister.

The added bonus is that it looks quite certain that the Australian Greens will hold the balance of power in the Senate. Kevin Rudd or Kevin as he's known these days has led the polls for 10 months since he got the leadership.

Garrett and The Greens are good news for the world, as is Kevin Rudd. If the Greens get the balance, they can negotiate an even better outcome for Environment Policy.

The Liberals (Howard's party) have been attacking Kevin's lack of experience for a long time. I woke up yesterday to hear Julia Guillard (Deputy Labour Leader) on the radio, sounding relaxed, comfortable and like a Leader. The Age wrote yesterday about what a shocking campaign the Liberals have run this time round.

Experience when your on the nose doesn't really help.

Next Saturday, if all goes well, (everyone here is cautious despite the consistent opinion polls favoring Labour with a 10 point lead) Australian's will once again start to have something to be proud about. Add to the list pulling out of Iraq, the end of Workchoices ( the IR policy they dare not mention any more by name ) and the return to decency when it comes to Immigration and Refugees...

Noice