We’re deeply committed to restore the harmony between nature and our often irrational and not always responsible civilization. We shall work hard to reduce and ultimately eliminate our harmful influence on climate, oceans, forests, wildlife and every other facet of nature. This shall be achieved by employing world class scientific and practical methods developed home or abroad and by federal & global coordination of all efforts. Our government shall give top priority to new, environmentally-friendly industries and aid the rapid transition to commercially available cleaner technologies by means of grants, subsidies, tax concessions, etc. Our main objectives are as follows:

• We shall fully cooperate with UN and other global organisations’ initiatives aimed at protecting the environment and reducing our green house gas emissions.

• Our future government will replace most of our polluting coal-burning power stations within the next decade. All commercially available practical and clean alternatives will be considered without fear or prejudice:

Hydro power is one of the oldest and still amongst the best, but our available resources in this area are very modest – Australia is the driest continent on Earth and at this stage it’s unlikely that we’ll find another spot where we could build another grandiose Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme (which we admire too).

Although not entirely handsome Wind farms are getting more popular all over the world. Many may not like their appearance but despite this they are still an attractive and clean alternative to the coal mines (try to compare the aesthetics of an open cut coal mine and its smoky power station with the wind farm...) If nothing else we have no less wind (most of our southern cities are in the so called “roaring forties”) than coal and this potential shall be fully utilized.

Just like wind farms’ aesthetics others may not like nuclear power although they often tend to forget that all the energy on Earth (petrol, coal, hydro, wind, etc.)  originates from the sun, which is ... nuclear powered. This is the most “natural” and powerful energy source in the universe and many industrial nations discovered its benefits decades before us, while our only nuclear “affair” resulted only in nuclear weapons testing... We think it’s about time to open our minds and look forward: we have plenty of uranium and enough deserts where we can safely (!) and economically store the radioactive waste of the entire world for thousands of years.

Tidal power stations aren’t well developed yet, but they are no less attractive than their hydro relatives. Australia has plenty of potential in this area (large bays with narrow entrances and high tides) and we’ll encourage more research and investment in such lucrative and clean technology. Unlike hydroelectric power stations which are affected by draught and seasonal rainfall, tidal power stations can operate every day - the tides never run out of “steam” or water...

Despite their very modest efficiency (currently most of them use less than 10% of the light spectrum) and astronomical cost over the last decade solar panels are getting more popular as an alternative power source for remote and some grid-connected industries, homes, installations and vehicles.  We shall continue to promote research and investment into more efficient and economical solar energy and encourage its use. We’ll also ensure that utility companies pay fair prices for “home-generated” green electricity and subsidise the cost of such installations for certain areas.

Most fuel cell systems are still in the development stage but it’s expected that they will become commercially available as early as the next decade. Many of them will operate on gas or hydrogen and produce little or no emissions at all. The first beneficiaries shall be our vehicles and hopefully soon we’ll get rid of the dirty and noisy combustion engines and the associated fumes choking our cities. We’ll encourage fuel cell vehicles by waving the registration fees for the first 2 years and encouraging business to establish a network of hydrogen fuel supply. Larger fuel cell based systems shall also be considered and encouraged for home & other power generation. 

• Since prehistoric ages water has always been a vital commodity for all of us (humans, nature, industries, etc.). Its availability is critical for every aspect of our life and it’s important that we carefully balance and distribute our limited resources in the best possible way. Fair water distribution to all of us is a huge challenge (so many wars were fought for the control of rivers and other water sources...) and can only be resolved on a national level. Building a river dam next to your town or farm may seem to be a great idea but what would happen to the people who live further downstream? The water belongs to all of us (and most of all to nature...) and we shall work hard to design and implement a national water distribution scheme allowing every citizen, farm or business to have its fair share. These water shares shall be uniform across the country and based on climate, water availability, population and industrial development. While we may not be able to supply water to every region (most of our continent is desert) we’ll ensure that every citizen, farm, business, boater, angler or fish on the river “X” (upstream or downstream) has the same amount of water which he/she can use wisely and enjoy. The scheme shall also take into consideration the needs of native flora and fauna, national parks, conservation, tourism, etc. Our water management scheme shall also be complemented by comprehensive soil and salinity control measures aimed at improving fertility and biodiversity.

• We shall ban logging in old growth forests and replace it with renewable plantations within a decade. Such plantations shall improve air and land quality and cover many barren areas unsuitable for agriculture, industry or recreation.

• Recycling will become a standard for many industries and be stimulated by new financial incentives for businesses and consumers.

• We shall create more national parks and encourage healthy recreation by removing or reducing entrance, camping, boat launching, hiking and other park fees and permits. National parks shall have more staff, better road access, fire protection and tourist facilities. We shall also help establish many new marine and coastal national parks which shall give fish, coral and other marine life a chance to survive the current fishing “genocide”. Such parks shall have facilities for various water sports such as swimming, surfing, snorkelling, diving, boating, sailing, etc.

• Simple compulsory and free yearly roadworthy tests (see Transport) will ensure all vehicles comply with safety, emission and noise regulations.

• Today, dumped and broken glass bottles (> 90% originate from alcoholic drinks) are almost everywhere – on our roads and streets, national or urban parks, gardens, reserves, beaches, foot/cycling paths, playgrounds, bays, harbours, lakes, rivers, etc. They are a serious safety concern for many of us (parents, drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, etc.) and cause many serious injuries (as well as property, vehicle, environmental & aesthetic damage) every year. To combat these and many other serious problems we shall ban alcohol consumption in all public places (see Health) and introduce bottle deposits nationwide (similar but much higher than those used in South Australia now). We shall also abolish glass packaging for all alcoholic drinks (except for premium export wines and spirit) after an intermediate period of 10 years, which shall give the industry plenty of time to adopt the changes. 

• Cleanup Australia Day is a wonderful initiative and we shall support it by the allocation of more government resources (machinery, transport and the like) in order to help volunteers

• Thanks to many irresponsible shoppers shopping trolleys are steadily invading our urban landscape and penetrating deeper into the bush. Today you can find them almost everywhere – abandoned in streets, schools, parks, reserves, beaches, river/harbour/lake banks & bottoms, etc. Retail businesses and customers (although indirectly) loose millions  of dollars every year on “decorating” or cityscapes with deserted trolleys carelessly left where the shopping trip or “joy ride” ended. We shall solve this problem by legally confining every shopping trolley and its user to the shopping centre area which shall be clearly marked. Everyone using his/her trolley outside the boundaries shall face a theft charge (warning labels shall also be attached to all trolleys and trolley collection/pick-up areas) and think twice next time...   

• We shall reduce urban noise pollution by silencing urban train whistles and railway level crossings. Loud audible signals (horns, bells, etc.) are totally inappropriate in densely populated areas and should only be used in emergency. Silent safety alternatives such as lights and boom gates are more than enough to adequately protect all transport users (drivers and pedestrians alike) as it is done in all other areas of land transport.   Such measures will make life better for the thousands of people living near railways, and will not necessarily reduce safety.

• We shall introduce and enforce new vehicle noise standards ensuring that every truck, car or motorbike is used for transport and not for acoustic warfare. While this measure may affect some “performance” muffler makers and motorcycle dealers it will provide a relief for millions of others who aren’t deaf yet.