Peter Garrett, the former Midnight Oil singer and now Australian politician for the Labor Party, has accused American President George W. Bush of holding back the world on climate change.
Garrett has delivered his sting to the unpopular president just two days before George is due to arrive in Australia for APEC meeting in Sydney.On ABC television today, Garrett said "I'm not a great fan of President Bush and his policies. I certainly respect the fact that he's the leader of the United States ... But in terms of President Bush's policies, particularly in terms of climate change, I think that it's held the world back."
Garrett also delivered a stab to Prime Minister John Howard, accusing the PM of being slow to adopt climate change because of his Bush-led policies.
Earlier this month, Mr Garrett pointed out the shortfalls of the Howard's climate change policy saying "The APEC document, if accurate, does not include a commitment to a binding target alongside acknowledgement of UN processes, and it exposes the government's weak and inconsistent position on climate change."
The Howard Government is battling to maintain any credibility. "In the heat of an election campaign where the prime minister is making big claims on climate change, this document shows he actually delivers little in terms of results," Garrett said.
During his Australian trip, Bush is making the unusual decision to meet with the leader of the opposition, who is favoured to be the next Australian Prime Minister following this year's election. Bush wants to put his case forward for Australia to leave troops in Iraq but the Labor Government remains committed to withdrawn the Australian troops when they are in power.
