This weekend, Australia’s Labor party scored a resounding victory over John Howard’s right wing Liberal party. Not only did John Howard’s party lose power by more than 25 seats, but he personally lost the seat in parliament he has held since 1974.

Way to go, Johnny. I guess you’ll be brushing up your resume the next couple of days. Maybe Rumsfeld and Alberto Gonzales can give you some tips.

The Howard gov’t has ruled Australia since 1996 and built a record of economic prosperity on environmental destruction and neo-liberalism. Howard made a career of following in the tracks of George Bush on environmental, military and economic matters.

Many of my friends down under referred to Howard as “The Deputy Sheriff.”

Besides seeing a stalwart ally of the Bush administration go down in political flames, this election is important both geo-politically and environmentally.

For example, new Labor leader Kevin Rudd says he will sign Kyoto without hesitation.

This would isolate the last remaining industrial nation not to sign Kyoto, the United States, as the climate neanderthal that we are. And most likely end Australia’s reign as the single highest emitter of carbon, per capita.

30% of the coal emissions worldwide come from Australian coal mostly sold to East Asia. The coal rush is alive and well in Australia and one of Rudd’s top priorities should be shifting from fossil fuel to renewable energy.

Likewise our friends at the Daily Kos have identified other eco-travesties going on down under.

- 97% of the Great Barrier Reef is bleached every year
- 10–40% loss of core habitat for Victoria and montane tropical vertebrate species
- 92% of butterfly species’ core habitat decreases
- 98% decrease in Bowerbird habitat in N Australia
- 80% loss of freshwater wetlands in Kakadu (30 cm sea level rise)

Australia also has followed Bush’s lead by:

-joining the “Coalition of the Willing” in Iraq (withdrawal from Iraq is another Rudd campaign promise)
-being an ally in the Global War on Terror
-mimicking draconian immigration policies
-supporting “Free Trade” and privatization of Australia’s public sectors
-and my personal favorite, the criminalization of legitimate dissent

Hopefully, Rudd will not mimic his American cousins, the Democrats, and actually begin reversing the Howard era instead of carrying it on.