BRISBANE—The world should face the reality that it may have got it wrong on climate change, says former Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
Howard, who served as the Australian leader from 1996 to 2007, made the comments while appealing to the centre-right Liberal Party not to abandon its position on critical issues, warning that conservatives had “stopped arguing” their case.
“I am so worried about what the world is doing on climate change, and I’m worried about what Australia is doing,” he told an event hosted by the Centre for Independent Studies on March 30 in Brisbane.
Howard pointed to the performance of the Greens and Nationals—the parties with the most forthright positions on climate change—as proof that having a firm view on the issue would yield better election results.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with [the Liberal Party’s] fundamental position on these issues, although I think we have to face the reality that the world could well have got it wrong on climate change,” he added.
The Liberal and Labor parties have struggled with ideological shifts within their ranks, with proponents calling for more progressive-leaning policies to appease inner-city and younger voters. Climate change and net-zero are key issues at the heart of this schism.
“If I were the prime minister of India, the last thing I would want is to stop importing fossil fuels from Australia,” Howard said. “My sacred duty would be to increase the size of the Indian middle class.”
India has continued increasing its construction of coal-fired power plants and imports of coal to fuel the growth of its burgeoning economy; at the same time, developed nations look to cut back on their involvement in carbon-emitting industries.
“If you believe in free enterprise, and you believe in the capacity of private investors to do better than government,” he said. “If you believe in those things, you’ve got to find a better way of arguing the case. There’s nothing wrong with what we believe in.”
Howard pointed to the near-expulsion of Victorian state MP Moira Deeming as an example of political leaders losing their way.
Deeming was suspended from the party for nine months after she attended a women’s rights rally on March 18 in Melbourne.
The rally was met with a counter-protest involving hundreds of LGBTQ advocates and gate-crashed by neo-Nazi protestors. Subsequently, media outlets soon linked women’s rights advocates to neo-Nazism.
Victorian state Liberal leader John Pesutto was quick to condemn Deeming’s attendance and moved to expel her from the party.
However, a party meeting saw the leader back down after senior figures stood by Deeming’s conduct.
“The new material she supplied this morning opened the doorway to a sensible proposal that I put to the party room that saw her accept the nine months [suspension], losing the party whip position as well,” Pesutto said.
“The conduct that I wanted condemned has been condemned,” he said.
“We are committed to being a welcoming, engaging, and inclusive party, there for all, no matter what your background.”
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Howard called this episode an “absolute farce.”
“Who said we weren’t [an inclusive party]? Our opponents said we weren’t,” he said.
The former prime minister said when he joined in 1974, his branch was comprised of people from all walks of life, including teachers and haberdashers.
“I didn’t think I was joining some odd group of white male exclusionists.”
“I think we accept labels put on us by our opponents. We should reject them,” he added. “Every time I hear a Liberal [member] saying, ‘Oh, look, we’ve got to do more, we’ve got to be more inclusive, you’ve got to be kinder and nicer.'”
“What they’re really saying is the criticism is right—well, they’re not right. They’re not right.”