George Browning, the Anglican Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, said on January 11 that it would not be morally responsible to vote in the next federal election for any party that did not have a credible climate change policy. He was speaking at the "Australia as a Neighbour" conference in Melbourne, organised by Initiatives of Change, Australia, and attended by 300 people from 17 countries.
Browning told participants that the Australian people had to be pro-active in insisting that the government play its part on addressing the pressing issue of global warming. "Arguably, global warming is our most serious current challenge. If we fail to respond, then our neglect is likely to exacerbate other national and international problems. A failure to address global warming will almost certainly put at risk all the millennium development goals, especially the elimination of poverty", he said.