Peter Garrett
Photo
credit: (Fairfax)
Peter Garrett AM
Former President Australian Conservation Foundation,
activist, former member Australian group Midnight
Oil, Labor Candidate for Kingsford Smith.
Peter Garrett is widely known as a passionate advocate
and essayist on a range of contemporary Australian
and global issues.
He
was vocalist, co-lyricist and dynamic frontman for
Midnight Oil for 26 groundbreaking years. The band
was known for protest and benefit shows, notably at
Jabiluka in the Northern Territory's Kakadu National
Park, Sao Paulo Brazil, Clayquot in Canada, the anti
Exxon Valdez performance on a truck top in the streets
of New York, and of course the 'sorry suits performance'
at the Sydney 2000 Olympics closing ceremony. Of Midnight
Oil's 16 albums,"10-1", "Diesel and
Dust", "Blue Sky Mining" and "Redneck
Wonderland" were amongst the most provocative
and successful, whilst songs like "Beds are Burning",
"Power and the Passion" and "US Forces"
have become FM radio standards.
Named
by US Rolling Stone magazine as "One of the most
significant bands ever to emerge from Australia".
The 'Oils' were renowned for a fierce independent
stance and active support of a range of contemporary
concerns including the plight of homeless youth, indigenous
people's rights and protection of the environment.
Peter
served two terms as President of the Australian Conservation
Foundation. From 1989 to 1993 significant results
for many threatened areas of the Australian environment
including Coronation Hill in Kakadu, Shoalwater Bay
in Queensland, the Queensland Wet Tropics rainforest
and Jervis Bay in NSW were achieved during this time.
In
his second term the Australian Conservation Foundation
grew strongly, developed partnerships with Non Government
Organisations, progressive business groups, and expanded
its campaigning into marine conservation and northern
Australia.
He
received the Australian Humanitarian Foundation Award
in the Environment category in 2000 and in 2003 the
Order of Australia (Member General Division), for
his contribution to environment and the music industry.
Websites
Peter
Garrett - Minister for the Environment, Heritage
and the Arts
Peter
Garrett - Minister for the Environment, Heritage
and the Arts - media releases
Peter
Garrett official website
Peter
Garrett - Australian Labour Party
Peter
Garrett - Wikipedia
Midnight
Oil Profiles
Politics
Environmentalists
Whales
Art
Press
Release
19 March 2008
OECD
REPORT SUPPORTS RUDD LABOR GOVERNMENT’S
ACTION ON CLIMATE
CHANGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
An
independent report released today supports the
Rudd Labor Government’s action on climate
change and the environment after 11 years of Howard
Government neglect.
Minister
for the Environment, Peter Garrett, and Minister
for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong,
jointly received the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s Environmental
Performance Review of Australia from Mr Lorents
Lorentsen, head of the OECD Environment Directorate.
“The
OECD has prepared a comprehensive report on environmental
management in Australia,
covering national, state, territory and local
government efforts over the last decade,”
Mr Garrett
said.
“This
independent report demonstrates that the effects
of 11 years of Howard Government neglect of the
environment required decisive action by the Rudd
Labor Government.”
Mr
Garrett said the Government had already pre-empted
many of the report’s 45 recommendations
with programs such as the new $2.25 billion program
called Caring for our Country, announced last
week.
“Caring
for our County supports the recommendation that
the capacity of regional natural resource management
bodies should be expanded,” Mr Garrett said.
The
program focuses on six national priorities to
help restore the health of Australia’s environment
and improve land management practices:
*
the national reserve system;
* biodiversity and natural icons – including
weed and feral animal control and threatened
* species;
* coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats;
* sustainable farm practices – including
Landcare;
* natural resource management in remote and northern
Australia; and
* community skills, knowledge and engagement.
Senator
Wong said the Rudd Government had already moved
on one of the report’s most significant
recommendations: the need to introduce a national
greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme.
“On
Monday, I announced a detailed timetable for the
introduction of emissions trading,” Senator
Wong said.
“The
first act of the Rudd Government was to ratify
Kyoto and we are on track to meet our Kyoto target.
“And
we have begun the process of restoring the River
Murray by announcing $50 million this year for
purchasing water for the environment.”
Conclusions
and recommendations of the OECD report are available
at:
www.environment.gov.au/commitments/oecd/publications/review2008.html
Media
contacts:
Minister
Garrett – Ben Pratt on (02) 6277 7640 or
0419 968 734
Senator
Wong – Ilsa Colson on 0418 368 639
Articles
Japanese
whaling a sham says Garrett
Japanese whaling is a sham says Environment Minister
Peter Garrett, adding that Australia will today
begin planning to launch both diplomatic and surveillance
measures into ceasing Japanese whaling activities.
Foreign
Affairs Minister Stephen Smith and Environment
Minister Peter Garrett today said Australia had
launched further diplomatic representations to
Japan, as well as plans for a raft of surveillance
vessels to be deployed to the Southern Oceans.
It
was reported on Monday that the Government was
considering the use of a privately leased P&O
vessel armed with two machine-guns and several
high-resolution image and video devices.
Mr
Smith said today that Australia had begun top-level
inquiries into further representations against
Japan in International courts, and would be deploying
surveillance aircraft and ships to monitor Japanese
activities.
"Our
objective here is to persuade the Japanese Government
to stop the slaughter of whales in the antarctic,"
Mr Smith said.
Environment
Minister Peter Garrett said that whaling was a
cruel and harsh practice, and that Australia was
a nation who was prepared to stand against the
Japanese despite the countries strong diplomatic
and economic relationship.
"It's
focussed on Japan because scientific whaling is
a sham," Mr Garrett said. "There are
non-lethal ways of continuing and developing research
into whales, you dont have to harpoon them..."
The
Government said that it had given prior warning
to Japanese Diplomats over its plans to survey
and monitor the culling of whales in the Southern
Ocean, adding that Australia expected no diplomatic
backlash as a result of the new measures.
Mr
Smith said that the Oceanic Viking's defence capabilities
would be stored, with the ship's machine guns
to be located below deck during the surveillance
operation.
The
Foreign Minister stressed the new measures were
for monitoring and surveillance only, and that
Australia had no plans to launch Defence measures
against the Japanese.
"I
make the point it will be surveillance, and not
enforcement... the customs [crew] will not be
armed," the Foreign Minister said.
"Australia
and Japan are friends, and we have a very productive
relationship... the strength of the relationship
between Australia and Japan is a strong one."
The
Government will also send a Diplomatic envoy to
continue its campaign against Japanese whaling,
with further representations to the International
Whaling Commission (IWC) and a building of additional
evidence to halt the whaling activities.
Japanese
whalers will this year take nearly 1000 whales
from Antarctic and Southern Oceans, with up to
50 Humpback whales also a part of Japanese cull.
Media
Man Australia would like to make a public thank
you to Peter Garrett for his interest in our business
and 2006 European trip, and the opportunity to
discuss this in person at the 2006 MTV Music Video
Awards. Public congratulations to Peter Garrett
on his stand against whaling
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