Fed: Drought, water bigger election issues than climate change: Howard

AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2007
Fed: Drought, water bigger election issues than climate change: Howard

SYDNEY, Feb 10 AAP - Solutions to drought and water shortages would be bigger concerns
than climate change for voters at this year's federal election, Prime Minister John Howard
says.

Mr Howard told the Sun-Herald newspaper he believed purely domestic issues such as
economic prosperity, national security and Australian environmental issues were the key
to winning at the ballot box.

The prime minister didn't want to dismiss climate change but said Australians were
more concerned about solving problems in their own back yards.

"Water is the big environmental issue," Mr Howard told the paper.

"Water, water, water. It's the biggest environmental game in town by a long way. It's
within our capacity to do something about it in the foreseeable future - it's a self-contained
Australian challenge."

Australians' inherent practicality meant they were more interested in drought-proofing
the country and fixing water problems than debating climate change, he said.

Mr Howard said the Coalition's 11 years in office might prove a double-edged sword at the polls.

"It's both a strength and a challenge," he said.

"Every election gets that bit harder."

Mr Howard took heart, however, from continued confidence in his government.

History showed that each of the five changes of government since World War II had been
preceded by a collapse in confidence in the incumbents, he said.

"That hasn't happened to us."

AAP sk/jl

KEYWORD: POLL HOWARD

2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.