Garrett's Green Talk On Economy Has Union And Business Lobby Seeing Red

The Age

Wednesday November 5, 2008

PETER KER

FEDERAL Environment Minister Peter Garrett has been warned against presenting Australia's environment and economy as competing forces in the wake of a controversial speech in Melbourne at the weekend.

Unions, business groups and the Opposition urged caution from MrGarrett yesterday after he declared the environment was bigger and more important than the economy.

As Australia faced a major economic downturn, MrGarrett told the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand "the environment is not a subset of the economy; indeed, it is the other way around".

The speech sparked concern from groups such as the Construction, Forestry Mining and Energy Union. "People who try to say that one of these things is more important than the other in my view are attempting to set up a ridiculous debate ... neither is a subset of either," said the union's forestry chief Michael O'Connor.

The Opposition also pounced, with National Party Leader Warren Truss warning "it is hard to be green when you are in the red".

Victoria's industry lobby also sought to correct Mr Garrett.

"The environment and the economy are not subsets of each other, nor are they mutually exclusive," said Chris James, spokesman for the Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "It becomes more difficult to manage and care for the environment without a healthy economy that creates wealth - many of the countries with major environmental problems also have developmental problems in the economic sense." -- PETER KER

© 2008 The Age

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