Perron’s conservative CLP government warned of climate change threat 30 years ago

MARSHALL Perron’s conservative CLP government warned about the dangers of climate change and the need to take action 30 years ago, cabinet records reveal

As bushfires rage across the country, NT cabinet records from 1989 released today reveal the Territory made a submission to a federal inquiry into reducing the impact of the greenhouse effect

• TIME to act. Climate change warnings go unheeded

MARSHALL Perron’s CLP government warned about the dangers of climate change and the need to take action 30 years ago.

As bushfires rage across the country, cabinet records from 1989 released today reveal the Territory made a submission to a federal inquiry into reducing the impact of the greenhouse effect which stated scientists had predicted the climate would warm by 1.5 to 4.5C by 2030.

The submission called for an exploration of alternative energy sources and a national co-ordinated approach to the issue.

It also approved and funded a four-year CSIRO and NT Conservation Commission study agreement aimed at providing “state of the art” scientific advice on the likely effects of climate change on the Territory and what action should be taken.

The documents give an insight into our leaders’ thoughts in 1989, when the NT’s first university was opened, and you could buy a two-bedroom townhouse in Larrakeyah for a little over $70,000.

Married women were given the same legal status as married men with the introduction of the Equality of Status of Married Persons Bill.

It came after an NT Law Reform Committee report on de facto relationships highlighted outdated areas of law when it came to the rights of married women, such as that upon marriage a woman lost most of her rights to deal with property and exercise independent legal capacity.

“The complex legislative provisions dealing with the capacity of a married woman are an historical anomaly and inconsistent with modern conditions,” the submission read.

The Arafura Games were born when cabinet approved a submission to stage the inaugural event – then called the Arafura Sports Festival – in Darwin in May 1991 and contributed $273,000 funding towards the project.

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Katherine was a focus of government attention in 1989, with the construction of a new courts complex to deal with growing demand and government purchase of the town’s CSIRO facility to further scientific research both proposed in that year.

You can view the released documents at the NT Archives Service.