March 23, 2006
We have explored the effect on Parliament and government of the power of the lobbyist before. And there is more on public opinion here and here
Steve Sack
What comes through is the fear of the state premiers off upseatign the coal and eneergy intensive industries by adopting a strong Greenhouse policy.
In an entry on July 16 2004 in his Latham Dairies Mark Latham says:
I followed up in Melbourne yesterday with a cooparative agreement with the Premiers sans Beattie, about needs-based schools funding and health system reform eliminating waster and duplication. We wanted to include Kyoto in the agreement by setting up a national-carbon trading system, but Beattie refused to cooperate, so it had to be dropped. He's super-sensitive about the coal industry, but it's crazy in term sof Queensland's long term interests. Global warming is killing the Great Barrier Reef, the State's main economic and environmental resource, and Beattie won't support Kyototo do soemthing about it. ....he's rough-riding over the Reef, watching it die because of coal bleaching. (pp.317-18)
So there you have--a classic example of the power of lobbyists.
|