Religious leaders at Parliament House in Canberra. Photo: Greg O’Donnell

CHANTAL ABITBOL

WITH world figures set to meet in Copenhagen next month to thrash out plans to protect the environment, a group of religious leaders from around Australia converged on Parliament House in Canberra to lobby the Government for a tougher emissions trading scheme.

The leaders, who represented a cross-section of faiths and included Emanuel Synagogue’s Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins, met with Minister for Climate Change Penny Wong late last month with a list of requests.

It marked the first time religious leaders in Australia have come together to create a unified public stance on the issue.

Among their requests were for Australia to reduce emissions by up to 40 per cent from 1990 levels by the year 2020, and for the Government to contribute billions of dollars annually to help developing countries adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
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AJN Staff

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull met with AUJS members in Canberra.

IN Canberra for its annual national political training seminar (PTS), members of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) this week met with Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull.

In meeting with the students, Turnbull discussed the economy and Australia’s level of debt, as well as restating the Liberal party’s commitment to Israel.

“Resolute support for Israel, particularly in these times, is absolutely vital,” he said.

Turnbull also reiterated the Coalition’s support for a two-state solution, but one which has to be “achieved on terms that deliver peace and security for the people of Israel” on a practical level.

“The fundamental duty of every state, every government is the protection of its own citizens,” he said.

Turnbull noted that Israel faces existential threats that the vast majority of Australians could only imagine. He said first time visitors to Israel are struck by its small geographical area and the strategic challenges that arise as a result. Read the full story