July 22, 2014

The Australian Senate last week voted 39 to 32 to repeal the country’s so-called carbon tax, fulfilling a campaign promise of conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The House of Representatives voted earlier in the week to repeal the highly contentious measure. The tax–passed by then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s Labor Party to combat climate change–required large companies to pay for carbon dioxide emissions. It was devised to force Australia’s biggest air polluters to cut such emissions, setting a price of $23 Australian ($21.50 U.S.) per metric ton of carbon dioxide when it went into effect in 2012.

Abbott, who became prime minister in 2013, characterized the measure as a “useless, destructive tax, which damaged jobs, which hurt families’ cost of living and which didn’t actually help the environment.” Brendan Pearson, head of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), issued a statement that the removal of “the world’s biggest carbon tax is an important step towards regaining the competitive edge that Australia lost over the last decade.” MCA represents the minerals industry, both nationally and internationally.

Australia's thriving mining industry produces large amounts of bauxite, coal, copper, diamonds, iron ore, lead, opals, and zinc. The industry strongly supported the repeal of the carbon tax. (© Mike James, Photo Researchers)

The leader of Australia’s Labor Party, Bill Shorten, responded to the repeal by branding Abbott an “environmental vandal.” “Today, Tony Abbott has made Australia the first country in the world to reverse action on climate change,” declared Shorten.

Additional World Book articles:

• Liberal Party
• Australia 2013 (a Back in Time article)
• Australian prime minister 2013 (a Back in Time article)
• Carbon Offsets: Reducing Your Footprint (a special report)
• What We Know About Global Warming (a special report)

June 26, 2013

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today ousted the current prime minister, Julia Gillard, as leader of the Australian Labor Party. By a vote of 57-to-45, Rudd retook the leadership of the party and, thus, returns as prime minister. Rudd stated that he resumes the office “with humility, with honor, and with an important sense of energy and purpose.”

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (© Commonwealth of Australia)

Rudd’s overthrow of Gillard comes ahead of a general election due in September, which polls show Labor could lose. However, Rudd is more popular with voters than Gillard, and political experts suggest that Labor will perform better in the election under his leadership.

Julia Gillard of the Australian Labor Party became the first female prime minister of Australia in 2010. (© Graham Denholm, Getty Images)

Pundits noted that Rudd’s return to leadership is the latest twist in a long and bitter rivalry between the two politicians. Once close friends and colleagues, Gillard overthrew Rudd as prime minister in 2010 in what has been widely described as an act of ruthless political ambition. Since his overthrow, Rudd has been said to have worked unceasingly to destablize Gillard’s government.

Additional World Book articles:

• Parliament
• Australia 2010 (a Back in Time article)
• Australia 2012 (a Back in Time article)

January 7, 2013

Firefighters and emergency crews in the Australian state of New South Wales are facing a highly dangerous situation battling bushfires. (A bushfire is an uncontrolled fire in bush areas, especially the Australian bush.) With temperatures in Sydney expected to reach 110 °F (40 °C) today and severely dry, hot winds blowing from central Australia, fire departments, volunteer brigades, and emergency authorities were bracing for the worst. Very similar conditions on Feb. 7, 2009, came to be known as Black Saturday, during which wildfires in Victoria state left 173 people dead and caused $4.4 billion in damage.

Bushfires are currently burning in 5 of Australia’s 6 states, with 90 fires currently out of control in New South Wales and in the mountain forests around the capital, Canberra. “Any fire that burns under the predicted conditions–110 °F (40 °C ) temperatures, below 10 percent humidity, winds gusting over  43 miles (70 kilometers) per hour–those conditions are by any measure horrendous,” Rob Rogers, deputy commissioner of the New South Wales rural fire service, told NBC News. Speaking on NBC News, New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell warned, “Tomorrow [January 8] is not going to be just another ordinary day. Tomorrow will be perhaps the worst fire danger day this state has ever faced.”

Australia's current bushfires are being made worse by unusually hot temperatures, e.g., 110 °F (40 °C) in Sydney. The average January temperature in Sydney is 65 to 75 °F (18 to 24 °C). (World Book map; map data © MapQuest.com, Inc.)

After touring the island state of Tasmania yesterday, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard promised emergency aid for fire victims, who told of exploding trees and fireballs that engulfed whole communities on January 5. A number of people remain accounted for.

Additional World Book articles:

• Celsius scale
• Fahrenheit scale
• Why Fires Need to Burn (a special report)
• Australia 2009 (a Back in Time article)