Former Australian PM John Howard rebukes US President Barack Obama over G20 climate change speech. Again

FORMER PM John Howard has taken another swipe at President Obama over his G20 climate change speech, this time accusing him of meddling.

FORMER prime minister John Howard just can’t seem to let go of the perceived slight by President Obama against Australia’s climate change policy during the G20 leaders summit in Brisbane.

In an interview with The Australian, Mr Howard accused Mr Obama of “wading into domestic political differences on climate change” in his address at the University of Queensland.

The US president used his speech to urge the nation’s young people to act on climate change before its too late, making controversial references to the Great Barrier Reef, bushfires and the coal industry.

“I have not had time to go to the Great Barrier Reef and I want to come back and I want my daughters to come back and I want their daughters and sons to come back and have that be there in 50 years,” he told the 2000-strong crowd.

The speech embarrassed Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was heavily criticised in the media for actively ignoring climate change when it was at the top of everybody else’s agenda.

But Mr Howard told The Australian that Mr Obama’s address “could have been phrased differently”.

“I think President Obama could easily have understood that we have a different ­approach to climate change and, without in any way in retreating from his own position, he could have avoided giving the impression he was wading into domestic political differences on the climate change differences in the country with the reference to the Great Barrier Reef,” he said.

The country’s longest-serving prime minister lavished praise on Mr Abbott, who he said had

done a great job chairing the summit “when the eyes of the world were upon us”.

It is not the first time Mr Howard has taken issue with Mr Obama’s Queensland University speech.

Late last year he told The Australian that British Prime Minister held similar views to Mr Obama on climate change but had handled the issue with “style and grace” during his G20 speech, unlike the US President.

Originally published as Former Australian PM John Howard rebukes US President Barack Obama over G20 climate change speech. Again