No sole political or special interest group is the cradle of compassion for our environment. Our government acknowledges and accepts the challenge of addressing climate change. However, we do so not just with impassioned hearts – but also cool heads. We do not believe we have to choose between preserving our environment and keeping our economy strong.

The Liberals and Nationals have a strong record of environmental vision and achievement. From the Menzies government that signed the Antarctic Treaty to the Howard government’s founding of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, we understand that protecting and conserving our environment is a matter of intergenerational stewardship. Our land, air, oceans, reefs, fisheries and biodiversity are all vital parts of our inheritance. We hold them in trust today for Australians who will come after us. And reducing carbon emissions to address the real challenge of climate change requires practical policies.

We’re absolutely on track to meet our 2020 Kyoto emissions reduction target and that’s no small feat. In 2013, we inherited from Labor a 755 million tonne projected deficit on our Kyoto 2020 goal. We are now expecting to over-achieve on the target by 367 million tonnes – a 1.1 billion tonne turn around. We are one of a very small club that will exceed our 2020 target and we’ve done it through a combination of successful policies.