After appearing to belatedly embrace the need to fight climate change, the Prime Minister finally admitted last week that he cares more about protecting Australia's economic prosperity.
He sought to discredit the Stern Report, as British economist Sir Nicholas Stern visited Australia to spell out the implications of his landmark report for Australia. Stern is credited with galvanising many developed countries to take urgent action to curb climate change.
John Howard told Parliament that the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions advocated by Stern "would have a devastating effect on the Australian economy".
The focus of his attention is on Australia's competitive position in the world economy. While he mentions the cost in terms of increased unemployment, his main concern is the big business bottom line.
Meanwhile the St Vincent de Paul Society was arguing last week that it is the poor who will suffer disproportionately if across the board anti-climate change measures are adopted.
Vinnies' Victorian policy analyst Gavin Dufty said the suggestion of a $10 per tonne carbon levy should be assessed for its impact on pensioners.
"This group consumes energy at a rate below average household consumption, but, conversely, as a proportion of their weekly spending, they pay almost double the amount compared with the average household."
He added that a 7% increase in electricity bills will also have an impact on sections of the community "unable to meaningfully substitute electricity consumption with other energy sources such as natural gas".
Other voices in the Church have also noted that the poor will suffer disproportionately. Columban ecologist Fr Sean McDonagh, who visited Australia recently, has written: "We know that climate change will have a terrible impact on the poor, the very people who did least to cause the problem in the first place."
The Prime Minister made it clear last week that he is a climate change skeptic. He told Parliament: "History is littered with examples of where nations have overreacted to presumed threats."
By contrast, Vinnies accepts the facts as presented by Nicholas Stern and scientific authorities. It merely urges that all Australians share equitably in the financial cost of responding to the challenge.