Christian Downie and Howard Bamsey write in The Conversation (23.5.16) about the policy uncertainty and lack of political direction currently surrounding the issue of climate change. They argue for the merits of re-establishing a federal climate change department after the coming election, to refocus the government’s energies towards meeting the nation’s Paris agreement commitments.
‘With a federal election looming, Australia’s top mandarins will once again be turning their minds to the incoming government briefs, the so-called blue book if the Coalition is returned and the red book if Labor is elected.
‘High on the agenda will be the organisation of the bureaucracy and it won’t get any trickier than climate change.
‘A question for an incoming government will be whether to re-establish a Department of Climate Change? And if not, what should be done?’