Australia’s 2050 net strategy a fantasy, says Chris Bowen

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has slammed the former government’s energy targets as he reveals what will replace them.

Australia’s existing net zero strategy for 2050 is “a fantasy” that will be replaced by decarbonisation plans for six individual sectors of the economy, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced.

Speaking on the first day of the Australian Clean Energy Summit in Sydney, Mr Bowen said the former Morrison government’s 2050 net zero plan was unrealistic because “it assumes future technologies will do the heavy lifting without any effort or investment to bring them about”.

Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The six sectors of the economy to be subject to the new plans are energy and electricity, industry, the built environment, agriculture and land, transport and resources.

Mr Bowen said there would not be targets set for emissions reductions in each sector, but they would provide “the flavour of government thinking” for investors.

The plans will feed into the government’s overall emissions targets for 2035 (which has yet to be set) and 2050.

“Different sectors have different pathways and different challenges. Agriculture is very different to the built environment,” Mr Bowen said.

He promised the government would set a “strong” emissions target for 2035, but declined to say what it might be.

Climate change campaigner Suzanne Harter says the issue should not be siloed in one government portfolio

The Australian Conservation Foundation and the Property Council were among the disparate groups to welcome the plans.

ACF campaigner Suzanne Harter said climate change “will impact every part of our economy, so it should not be siloed in one government portfolio”.

Property Council CEO Mike Zorbas said the sector had been asking for an industry-specific decarbonisation plan for some time.

“We are well positioned to support Australia’s net zero goals as long as the signposts are clear,” he said.

Mr Bowen said he remained confident Australia would beat Turkey to win hosting rights for the COP31 climate conference in 2026.

He also ruled out an economy-wide carbon price.

“We tried that once. We won’t be going back,” he said.

Opposition climate and energy spokesperson Ted O’Brien slammed Mr Bowen over Tuesday’s announcement, saying it confirmed Labor “never had a plan” to decarbonise the economy, despite claiming they did.

“It took the Minister over 12 months in office to decide he should put together a plan to achieve the targets he legislated last year, meanwhile no one knows what he wants to do, how much it will cost and who will pay,” Mr O’Brien said.

Originally published as Australia’s 2050 net strategy a fantasy, says Chris Bowen