We can't leave climate policy to our short-sighted politicians

John Hewson.

Some issues are too important to be left to governments and politics.

Three times in my life I have felt this to be the case, and advocated that responsibility for them be passed to an independent authority, and process.

The first was back in 1980, when I advocated an independent Reserve Bank, an initiative that grew out of my frustration from sitting as an adviser on the monetary policy committee of cabinet on the Fraser government, watching ministers struggle to set interest rates and our exchange rate – prices that were clearly too important to be left to politicians. The system and its management needed to be depoliticised – in this case, market-based and independently supervised.

Read the comment in today’s Melbourne Age by John Hewson - “We can't leave climate policy to our short-sighted politicians.”

Politics podcast: John Hewson on the budget climate

John Hewson, a former Liberal leader and chair in the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute at the Australian National University, describes the uncertain economic climate into which Treasurer Scott Morrison will deliver next week’s budget.

John Hewson.

“I think it’s an occupational hazard for treasurers that they’re always optimistic – always try to put a better gloss than is the case,” Hewson says.

“I’ve been analysing and forecasting economies since the late ‘60s and I picked up most of the big turning points over that period. But I’d have to say that right now I think it’s harder than it’s ever been to say what might happen next.”

Hewson nominates the after-effects of the global financial crisis, geopolitical tensions, and environmental challenges as some of the factors driving his doubt.

There is also the matter of Donald Trump.

“He’s quite unpredictable and his capacity to govern in the United States is really quite limited. Although he might have been a reasonably successful property developer, it’s not easy to run a government off that skill-set in Washington and he’s finding the reality of that.”

Listen to the ABC podcast in which Michelle Grattan talks with John Hewson - “Politics podcast: John Hewson on the budget climate.”

Fake news, politicians' dishonesty skewing climate debate, John Hewson warns

Politicians are getting away with flagrant dishonesty as a shift from fact to opinion colours the political debate around climate change, former Liberal leader John Hewson says.

John Hewson - politicians are getting
away with flagrant dishonesty.

Dr Hewson was speaking in the run-up to today's Global March for Science, with gatherings taking place in 12 Australian cities and towns as well as in Washington DC and other centres worldwide.

He told AM he initially decided to get involved because he was concerned about the "the lack of evidence being used as the basis of public policy”.

"I think science is probably more useful and more relevant to society today than it's probably ever been. But there's been a widening gap between science and the public," he said.

Read the ABC News story - "Fake news, politicians' dishonesty skewing climate debate, John Hewson warns".

John Hewson promoting ancient coal technology

Former Liberal Party leader and climate campaigner John Hewson has produced another shock to environmental activists, promoting a decades-old and never used coal technology that he says could extend the life of the vast brown coal resources in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.

Hewson and his business partners say they have perfected a system that “refines” coal and turns it into granules that can then be used in power generation, as a replacement for diesel and gas, in transport, and in space heating. The potential market, they say, is in the “trillions” of dollars.

Furthermore, they say it could mean that thousands of coal mines and coal generators around the world will not need to close, despite the global mandate to cut emissions to meet climate change targets.

The technology was promoted by Hewson in a recent presentation in the Latrobe Valley at a $45-a-head dinner in Traralgon, ostensibly called to look at the transition possibilities for a region dependent on brown coal generation.

According to the Voices of the Valley public group, Hewson had been expected to talk about the future beyond coal, but instead gave a sales pitch for a new technology that could exploit the Latrobe Valley’s vast coal resources.

Read the RenewEconomy story by Giles Parkinson - “John Hewson pushes “trillion dollar” opportunity in “refined” coal.”

'Economic, political, social and moral challenge of the century' - Hewson

T

he need for climate change action and the disappointment in Australia’s diminished response to climate change and the political intrigue surrounding the issue were among points made the John Hewson at Box Hill on Saturday night.

Former Liberal leader, John Hewson - climate
change is the 'economic, political, social
and moral challenge of this century'.

The former Liberal Party leader was the keynote speaker at a Divestment Forum and Expo in the Box Hill Town Hall.

“Since the early 1990’s, the way that short term politics has cut across sensible and rational public debate, in fact distorting a very significant constituency, we’ve ended up with possibly the worst possible of circumstances as we sit here in this country today,” he told those at the forum.

A full report on the forum - “Former Liberal Party leader: Climate change is the ‘economic, political, social and moral challenge of this century’’’ – can be found on the Robb Version website.