Greens (WA) welcome Kyoto legislation.

May 27, 2003 - The Greens (WA) today welcomed the decision of the federal Labor party to introduce legislation to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change.

The legislation is a private members bill and will most probably be voted down in the House of Representatives. It is however the first clear indication of a Labor commitment to the Kyoto Protocol.

We now hope that such a clear commitment will be forthcoming from the WA State Labor Premier, Dr Geoff Gallop, who to date has been less than supportive.

Dr Gallop has said 'We don't want to sign up on something and then find we're losing industry from WA but we're not reducing greenhouse gas emissions globally.'

It is no wonder that Mr Gallop has taken this position when Western Australia has done nothing to limit our spiralling Greenhouse emissions and could not currently meet the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol.

'I urge the State Government to fast-track the State Greenhouse Strategy, which thus far has been a disappointing and barely visible response to the challenges we face.'

'Now federal Labor is committed, we call on the Premier to immediately review the states' emissions to bring them in line with the wishes of their federal colleagues' said Mr Chapple.

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