Ian MacFarlane

Ian MacFarlane is the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources in the Australian government. Macfarlane is the Liberal Party of Australia member for the Queensland seat of Groom.

At a coal industry conference in April 2005 MacFarlane complained that environmentalists were winning the battle for public opinion and urged the industry sell its message.

Australia, along with the U.S., are the only developed countries that have refused to ratify the Kyoto Treaty designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions. MacFarlane said that the industry needed to tell the public more about technologcal measures aimed at cutting carbon dioxide emissions "in simple, media-sized chunks". 

"It's a repetitive message but the industry must pick up the gauntlet and start actively selling its story," he said.

Ian MacFarlane should not be confused with the former Reserve Bank governer, who is also called Ian J. MacFarlane.

Climate Change Dirty Dozen
In a talk given in Australia on 20 February 2006, Clive Hamiliton (director of the Australia Institute) identifies Ian MacFarlane as one of Australia's climate change "dirty dozen" (these include: Hugh Morgan, John Eyles, Ron Knapp, Alan Oxley, Peter Walsh, Meg McDonald, Barry Jones, Chris Mitchell, Ian MacFarlane, Alan Moran, Malcolm Broomhead, and John Howard):
 * "As industry minister in the Howard Government since November 2001, Macfarlane has been the greenhouse troglodyte of the Government. Even after the Prime Minister and the environment minister had accepted (at least in public) that climate change is real and potentially damaging, he continued to deny that there is a problem. MacFarlane has worked hand-in-glove with the fossil fuel lobby to sideline climate change. When the issue is unavoidable, he engages in policy window dressing in order to fool the Australian public into believing that the Government takes its responsibilities seriously."

Contact details
House of Representatives Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Tel: (02) 6277 7580 Fax: (02) 6273 4104

Electorate Office Contact 216 Margaret Street Cnr Margaret & Duggan Sts Toowoomba Qld 4350

Email: Ian.Macfarlane.MP AT aph.gov.au Website:Media Centre