Liberal push to commit to reducing SA’s economy to net-zero emissions by 2050 voted down by Labor, the Greens

A Liberal push that would commit to reducing South Australia’s economy to net-zero emissions by 2050 has been voted down by Labor and the Greens.

A Liberal push that would commit to reducing South Australia’s economy to net-zero emissions by 2050 has been voted down by Labor and the Greens.

A state government motion to declare a climate emergency passed both houses of parliament on Tuesday, “reaffirming the need to decarbonise the economy and shift to renewable sources of energy”.

But amendments put forward by the opposition, including proposals to shield the Environment Department from budget cuts and reach net-zero emissions by 2050, were defeated.

Opposition Leader David Speirs. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Mariuz

Opposition Leader David Speirs, who served as environment minister in the former Liberal government, said the amendments offered tangible environmental protections.

“Declaring a climate emergency without including any practical action is the very definition of virtue signalling and gesture politics,” he said.

“Our amendments were sensible and achievable but, staggeringly, Labor and the Greens joined forces to vote them down.”

Environment Minister Susan Close welcomed the climate emergency declaration, saying “it’s time to act and that starts with acknowledging the seriousness of the climate crisis”. She said Labor did not support the Liberals’ amendment because “it adds nothing”.

“Nearly everything that is in the amendment is effectively just reworking and embellishing what is already in the motion,” she said.

She said there was a “degree of hypocrisy that sits in elements” of the proposal to quarantine the budget from cuts.

“This comes from a leader who in his first budget ... cut $34m out of the environment department,” she said.

Dr Close said former Labor premier Jay Weatherill in November 2015 committed South Australia to a target of net-zero emissions by 2050, which the new government would legislate.

“I have committed to updating the Climate Change Act to reflect this target and to achieving 50 per cent emissions reductions by 2030,” Dr Close said.

“The Conservation Council SA report card at the 2022 election gave the ALP climate election commitments four times the points as the Liberals.”

Greens MLC Robert Simms said he voted against the amendment because the target was too far off.