Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
believes that undirected economic growth and increased consumer spending
is the pre-eminent national goal, then it should be explicit about this objective.
However, if this is not the case, the conditions under which it is willing to
pursue a policy not directed at maximising the rate of economic growth
should be spelled out. Alternatively, in the unlikely event that the Government
were to hold the view that economic growth is not an end in itself, that growth
is simply the end result of a range of other policies that are desirable in their
own right, then it should refrain from referring to the importance of economic
growth when it is arguing for or against a particular change in policy stance.
Similarly, opposition political parties need to spell out clearly where they
see economic growth in terms of the hierarchy of priorities. As discussed
above, attempts to characterise a political party as seeking to prioritise both
economic growth and other objectives should be dismissed out of hand.
While some may say that they seek to balance such competing objectives, any
party that seeks to maximise the rate of growth cannot simultaneously
pursue social or environmental policies that, while increasing well-being,
result in a lower rate of economic growth.
2 Review of the policy formulation process
In the last two decades there have been numerous reports and inquiries, by
all levels of government, which have considered mechanisms to reduce the
impact of economic activity on the environment. As discussed above, how-
ever, in many areas little progress has been made while in other policy areas
the situation has actually deteriorated.
If significant environmental improvements are to occur, then an inquiry
into the political obstacles that stand in the way of environmental reform is
required. That is, intellectual and creative energy needs to be diverted, at least
temporarily, away from
considering
what needs to be done and towards
devel-
oping
a strategy to implement the measures already accepted as necessary.
While it is possible to imagine a world in which good policy ideas are
implemented once they have been developed and disseminated, this is not a
world that resembles the Australian economy. For example, Australians con-
tinue to dispose of over seven billion plastic shopping bags each year, nearly
1000 per household per annum. Despite the evidence of the effectiveness of
small levies on shopping bags in reducing demand in countries such as Ire-
land, no such levy has been imposed in Australia. Both the manufacturers of
plastic bags and the Australian retail industry are opposed to the introduc-
tion of such a levy, their opposition being based on self-interest rather than