Australian PM urged to put biofuels on G8 agenda
Updated
International aid agency, Oxfam, says the Australian Prime Minister must raise concerns at the G8 Summit about the impact of biofuel policies on food prices.
Kevin Rudd will be in Japan this week to attend the Group of Eight summit of leading industrial nations.
Oxfam Australia's acting executive director, James Ensor, says Mr Rudd has promised to encourage the G8 to lobby OPEC about fuel prices.
But Mr Ensor says Mr Rudd also needs to apply pressure to the G8 members, about food prices and their link with biofuels.
"Around the world, food prices have gone up 80 per cent in the last three years and in the process have driven up to 100 million people back below the poverty line
"That's particularly poor people in developing countries in our region, including Indonesia, the Philippines and East Timor," Mr Ensor said.
