PM Gillard's Low Carb Breakfast Challenge
Sunday, 17 July 2011 15:47
The Prime Minister will today face a packed house of key Australian businesses at Green Capital’s historic Carbon Breakfast event. Representatives from the NAB, LendLease, Coca-Cola, Cannon Australia, Fuji Xerox, Goodman Fielder, Inghams Enterprises, Landcom, News LTD, Roche, Meat and Livestock Australia, GPT Group, and dozens more will convene to hear the Honourable Julia Gillard explain her Clean Energy Future Package.
“This is the first opportunity for the PM to answer questions from business directly from the floor,” says TEC director, Mr Jeff Angel. “It’s clear that the business community wants to know more about how Australia will move to a green economy, wherein our environment and our society are considered alongside economic indices.”
“In our recent Green Capital survey of sustainability professionals 6 out of every 10 of the 300-plus respondents agreed that a price on carbon pollution is of national importance. They also want a major domestic industry driven by materials recovery, recycling and reuse, supported by product stewardship for all major product categories; all subsidies for fossil fuel production and use removed; and a national energy efficiency target adopted,” Mr Angel said.
An expert panel will interrogate the policy package to establish ‘what’s next for a sustainable Australia?’
“We have one of the world's most carbon-polluting economies and also one of those most exposed to climate impacts,” says event panelist John Connor (CEO, The Climate Institute). “This package of measures is a very good start to getting out of a dangerous position.”
"We are finally on the escalator to address climate change, but we are only on the first step,” agrees Robert Purves (Chairman, Sustainable Business Australia). “The challenge remains to educate and bring many in the community along the road to a clean energy world. For business the Clean Energy Future Package brings a level of certainty and exciting new market opportunities."
Purves and Connor will be joined on the panel by Miriam Lyons (CEO, Centre for Policy Development), with an audience Q&A to follow.
“We'll have to speed up if we want Australia to seize the opportunities and manage the risks of the coming global economic transition,” Lyons says.
