Australian Prime Ministers

Yeah, Australia. Settler colony incapable of achieving any form of meaningful reconciliation with its bloody history and the first peoples. Oh well.

Prime Ministers since 1901, obvs, but only the last 50 years really “matter” as far as climate change is concerned.

Prime MinisterPartyYears in officeBrief description
Billy McMahon Liberal1971–1972Asshole. Created first Minister for the Environment, dismissed ecological concerns
Gough Whitlam Labor1972-1975Appointed a decent Minister for the Environment (Moss Cass). His Science Minister was persuaded to ask the AAS to produce a report on climatic change. Didn’t really maintain the rage
Malcolm FraserLiberal1975-1983Fanboyed coal. (probably) received an Office of National Assessments report on the Greenhouse Effect in late 1981
Bob HawkeLabor1983-1991Got the “greenhouse” bug in 1988, sort of. Talked a good game, while shilling coal. Probably a CIA asset of some sort.
Paul KeatingLabor1991-1996Awful on the greenhouse issue (“amorphous”) and not really any better on other environmental issues. On his watch, the delayers got their feet properly under the table.
John HowardLiberal1996-2007There are not enough words for “asshole” in the English language to describe this asshole. His assholeness was not restricted to the greenhouse issue, obvs.
Kevin RuddLabor2007-2010 (and 2013)Blowhard coward. HIs cynical use of climate change and then craven abandonment have poisoned climate politics for the following decade.
Julia GillardLabor2010- 2013Mostly bad at the retail side, but copped enormous flak for her lack of a penis. Least worst PM on climate?
Tony AbbottLiberal2013-2015Vandal. Moron. Embarrassing.
Malcolm TurnbullLiberal2015- 2018Talked a “good” game, but lacking in spine.
Scott MorrisonLiberal2018-2022Almost as bad as Howard, somehow. Coal-licking fool
Anthony AlbaneseLabor2022- 2025Knew how to win elections but on climate no more than Liberal-lite, despite decades of making the right noises.