Analysis: Climate wars reignite in Qld election battlegrounds

Anthony Albanese has succeeded in repositioning his party on coal, after a bruising in Queensland in 2019, while Scott Morrison has secured a once-unthinkable commitment to net zero by 2050. But, writes Matthew Killoran, these moves are set to hurt them both.

Get your bell bottoms out, because everything old is new again as the climate wars reignite.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese worked hard and succeeded in slowly repositioning his party on coal, after a bruising in central Queensland in the 2019 election which saw blue-collar workers turn their backs on the party.

He developed a emissions reduction plan which largely neutralised attacks from the Coalition, using parts of their own policy against them.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison negotiated within his own colleagues to secure a commitment to net zero by 2050 – something unthinkable not that long ago.

But it has all exploded in recent days and will hurt them both.

Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison may both end up losing based on their stances. (Photo by Toby Zerna – Pool/Getty Images)

Accusations of its plan being a carbon tax by stealth – and not just by the Coalition – will hurt Labor in the coal regions where it was only beginning to win back trust, if not votes based on internal polling.

Mr Albanese’s pledge that “there will be no carbon tax ever” is already being used by the Coalition in social media videos playing it along side Julia Gillard’s now-infamous quote “there will be no carbon tax under I government I lead”.

But LNP candidate Colin Boyce saying the Coalition’s net zero commitment is “flexible” will be used mercilessly by Labor and teal independents in under-pressure seats city like Brisbane and Ryan.

It would seem reports of the end of the climate wars have been greatly exaggerated, but it has been own goals from the major parties which brought them back.