The Prime Minister spoke to a CEDA audience of more than 600 on Monday 17 July.
Key points
In his speech, Mr Howard said:
- Australia has a "massive opportunity" to become an "energy superpower".
- Australia must aspire to be a world leader in clean coal technology.
- Rising fuel prices are making nuclear power more economically attractive.
- The emissions trading schemes backed by several state governments will prove unworkable.
- Australia has "extensive renewable energy resources" yet to be tapped, including hydroelectricity, wind, solar power and hot dry rocks.
- The states should "think big" to solve Australia's urban water shortages.
- Australia must "maintain a sense of urgency" about water reform.
- There is still too much "reform slippage" and blame-shifting between governments on the water issue.
Mr Howard also said that over his years in public life, CEDA had been "a wonderful forum for discussion and serious consideration of long-term national challenges".
Downloads and media
- Speech transcript
- Listen to the Prime Minister's speech in full below.
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- Download speech audio [MP3 file - right-click and choose "Save as ..."]
- Question-and-answer session transcript
- Listen to the Prime Minister answering questions from the audience:
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- Download question-time audio [MP3 file - right-click and choose "Save as ..."]
- Transcript of the Prime Minister's post-speech "doorstop" press conference.
- View media coverage
- "Howard calls for water revolution", transcript and audio downloads of ABC PM program coverage
- "We'll be an energy superpower: PM", Sydney Morning Herald
- "Call to rethink urban water use", The Australian
- "Howard's water, energy plans 'a distraction'", ABC Online
- "Howard urges water recycling", The Age
- "NSW Govt dismisses Howard's criticism of water restrictions", ABC Online
- "Plenty of untapped power left in Howard", Daily Telegraph
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Browse CEDA's report Water and the Australian Economy. It concludes that:
"Australia's existing water management strategies are not sustainable. Businesses, farms and households in every Australian city are paying too little for water."
More material will be posted here as it comes to hand.
CEDA's reaction
CEDA has particularly welcomed the Prime Minister's call to "maintain a sense of urgency" on water reform and to avoid "blame-shifting between governments".
CEDA also welcomes the Prime Minister's comments:
- embracing COAG (the Council of Australian Governments) as a vehicle for driving innovation in water reform
- calling for effective water trading between the states
- favouring water recycling and storm water capture.
CEDA's chief executive, Ms Catherine Baldwin, noted that CEDA had argued for all of these measures in the 2004 CEDA report Water and the Australian Economy.
"Over the course of the past quarter-century, as shown by the annual World Competitiveness Yearbook, Australia has overcome a series of policy challenges to become one of the world's best-run nations," she said.
"With the right focus on our water and energy problems, CEDA believes, we can meet these challenges too."
CEDA is holding a series of forums on energy and water use and climate change.