“Mr. Turnbull has repeatedly endorsed climate change science and has a deep understanding of the threats posed by climate change and global warming. We urge him to act on his own convictions and review Australia’s embarrassing and deficient climate change and environmental policies,” said Mr Ritter.
“Key amongst this would be a new commitment to transitioning Australia’s economy to renewable energy, which would also lead to job creation, while phasing out reliance on dirty fossil fuels.
“Australia once led internationally on tackling climate change, but Tony Abbott profoundly weakened this position by tainting economic policy with fossil fuel industry interests, and repeated attempts to destroy our renewable energy sector.
“Polling consistently showed that Mr. Abbott was out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Australians, who think the government should do more to address climate change.
“Now that Mr. Turnbull has won the endorsement of the Liberal Party, he has an opportunity to do the right thing, and we look forward to a more inclusive approach towards civil society where environmental and social policies are concerned,” he said.
ENDS