Dutton’s opposition to 2030 climate goal ‘opens door’ for debate on net zero: Liberal MPs
Several Coalition MPs want to reopen debate about Australia’s commitment to net zero emissions in 2050 after Opposition leader Peter Dutton criticised Labor’s ‘hopeless’ 2030 target.
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Several Coalition MPs want to reopen debate about Australia’s commitment to net zero emissions after Opposition leader Peter Dutton criticised Labor for pursuing an interim 2030 target it had “no hope” of achieving.
Outspoken Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has again openly called for Australia to leave the Paris Agreement on climate change in the wake of Mr Dutton’s comments, while at least four other Coalition members believe net zero by 2050 should be up for discussion.
Independent “teal” MPs have slammed suggestions of backsliding, while multiple Liberal MPs have privately warned renewed debate will harm the party’s chances in key metropolitan seats.
But Mr Canavan said the Coalition should ditch net zero and “take care of Australia’s needs first”.
Nationals Hinkler MP Keith Pitt said given the cost-of-living crisis “driven by Labor policies” voters should not be surprised the Coalition would like to act to help people in their time of need, “no matter what the United Nations and others might think”.
A Queensland Liberal said Mr Dutton’s comments as an opportunity to reconsider net zero as a “default policy setting,” while another agreed that a door had been “opened” and the party should “walk through it”.
Mr Dutton has signalled the Coalition would dump the Albanese Government’s 43 per cent emissions reduction target for 2030 as it was unrealistic, which prompted Labor to accuse the Opposition of walking away from the Paris Agreement.
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said “backsliding” on targets was not permitted under the agreement.
“The Paris Accord is about so much more than net zero,” he said. “It’s about five yearly targets.”
Coalition communications spokesman David Coleman said the party remained committed to net zero by 2050 and the Paris Agreement, but pointed out emissions had not gone down in the two years since Labor took office.
“We’re not going to maintain a Chris Bowen fantasy when it’s plainly not going to happen,” he said.
Other Coalition MPs fear a net zero debate will “seriously” hamper efforts to regain “Teal” seats.
A NSW Liberal said if there had been a door opened on the issue, it should be “shut as quickly as possible”.
Kooyong MP Monique Ryan said the Coalition was “completely incoherent and inconsistent ” on climate, which rendered them “much less likely” to be successful in an electorate like hers.
“(Labor) has not moved as quickly as we needed to, but that wouldn’t be in my book grounds to walk away from the challenge it would be grounds to double down,” she said.
Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel said her fear Mr Dutton would try to “reignite the climate wars” had been “realised”.
“(This) is the precise reason I successfully convinced the current government to agree to … (make) it explicit that the 2030 target of 43 per cent was a floor not a ceiling,” she said.
Wentworth MP Allegra Spender said Australian businesses couldn’t make the long term investment decisions while politicians were “flipping and flopping with wishful thinking”.
“I really can’t understand why the Liberal Party, which was once the party of science and rational economics, just doesn’t get it,” she said.
UTS energy expert Professor Roy Green said there was “every chance” Labor’s 43 per cent target could be reached if the renewables rollout was not delayed, but it was unlikely that coal would be completely phased out until 2050.
Prof Green said investment in hydrogen, solar and offshore wind would be a key factor.
“It’s entirely possible and indeed likely provided they hit their strides on all the programs that have been introduced,” he said.
Labor’s 2030 plan hinges on a number of strategies including a “safeguard mechanism” which requires big businesses to reduce their carbon footprint by 4.9 per cent a year.
Originally published as Dutton’s opposition to 2030 climate goal ‘opens door’ for debate on net zero: Liberal MPs
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