Possibly the most important decision made by our new leader was to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. By doing so he showed the world that Australia was ready to tackle our environmental issues head on. Australians were finally reassured that something is being done about climate change. It’s better late than never.

Rudd recently announced that on the 19^th and 20^th of April he will be hosting a 2020 summit where 1000 of Australia’s best and brightest will come together to discuss future directions for the economy, health care, population and sustainability and climate change. One great mind however, will not be attending the summit. Dr David Mills, a Canadian expatriate who made Australia his home, is a leading expert in solar thermal energy and is implementing his breakthrough technologies not here but in California.  

It’s understandable why Dr Mills took his work abroad. The growing interest in alternative energy in the US as well as the financial backing offered by venture capitalist Vinod Khosla promised vindication for years of hard work in Australia, where alternative energies were barely given the time of day.

Having said that, Dr Mills’ technology is being used in Australia, in the form of small pilot plants attached to the Liddell power station in the Hunter Valley. Basically, the technology involves sunlight hitting mirrors and then gathering in a tower where an absorber is located. Steam is then produced which drives the power turbines. Ausra, the company formed by Mills and Mr Khosla, is now developing plants like these in the US, but on a much more grand scale.

“The big question is why is it so hard to get venture capital investment in Australia? The lack of a market is part of it. The economy is so based on resources…The previous government was deliberately not creating a market” said Dr Keith Lovegrove, leading expert on solar systems from ANU.

“They provided lip service to renewable energies,” he said.

Kevin Rudd’s job has been made so much more difficult because of the Liberal government’s reluctance to admit that climate change is one of the most, if not the most, pressing issue facing Australians today. After more than a decade of dancing around the issue and casting doubt on the effectiveness of solar energy as an alternative to coal, Labor now faces the challenge of convincing Australians that it is, in fact, a feasible option.

“I think the previous government failed to tackle climate change… There was so much misinformation being put out there. The best example is that renewable energy can’t be used as baseload power,” said Phil Freeman, Climate Campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation

“It’s well documented that Howard lost touch on climate change because he was overly influenced by interest groups in the resources and fossil fuels sector.”

In order to prove to Australia that renewable energy could be implemented without harming the economy, Labor has started work on many hopeful initiatives. The establishment of a $50 million Australian Solar Institute, committing to a twenty per-cent renewable energy target and possibly an emissions trading scheme as well as offering $10 000 low interest loans for families that undertake ‘green home improvements’ are all promising steps forward. Labor has also pledged to harness Australian research on renewable energies so that we can build a low carbon economy and eventually trade climate change solutions on an international scale. In other words the new government understands that we need to keep great minds like Dr Mills in the country – not leave them no other choice but to take their innovative ideas elsewhere.

In order for Australia to succeed in reducing our carbon emissions, changes also need to be made on a smaller scale. According to Clean Up Australia Chairman Ian Kiernan, changing Australia’s recycling habits should be at the top of the list.

“There is so much room for improvement in our rates of recycling,” he said.

South Australia is the only state is Australia with a container refund scheme which gives people money for each recyclable drink bottle and can that they return. South Australia boasts an almost 90 per-cent recycling rate compared to a pathetic 38 per-cent in the other states. Earlier this year, Mr Kiernan played an integral role in increasing the refund amount in South Australia from five to ten cents. He is now focussed on making this clearly successful scheme a nationwide policy.

Mr Kiernan has also noticed a change since the Rudd Government was elected in November of last year.

“There’s definitely been a change in attitude and it’s been a positive one…The environmental portfolio in the Howard government was a junior portfolio but now Labor is really focussed on the whole issue,” he said.

So after confirming that our troops are coming home, saying sorry and taking a firm stance against climate change, the Rudd government is (without sounding too cliché) a breath of fresh air. No leadership will ever be perfect. Australians should never feel so comfortable that they neglect to push for transparency. Our needs and that of our environment must be catered to, regardless of the party in power.

“All sides of politics need to push on and put us on the right path to a cleaner, stronger, low carbon economy,” Mr Freeman said.