Climate change: Morrison facing new action calls from colleagues
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has lashed out at Matt Kean after the NSW Environment Minister went public with claims senior federal cabinet ministers wanted stronger action on climate change.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slapped down a NSW Liberal government minister for suggesting there are divisions within the party over climate change action.
NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean has spoken out about tensions in the party over the issue, telling the Daily Telegraph senior cabinet ministers want the prime minister to take strong action.
“Matt Kean doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He doesn’t know what’s going on in the federal cabinet. Most of the federal cabinet wouldn’t even know who Matt Kean was,” Mr Morrison told ABC radio.
The prime minister said the government was dealing with its climate policies in the “same ways” the Coalition took to the 2019 election.
“We are beating and will meet and beat our emissions reduction targets of Kyoto,” he said.
“We are leading the world on renewable energy technologies.
“Australia is getting the job done. We’re carrying our weight.”
Mr Morrison’s round of media appearances this morning followed reports senior Coalition cabinet ministers were calling on the PM to “take strong action” on climate change to ensure “prosperity for future generations” and reduce the risk of another horror bushfire season.
Mr Kean confirmed a group of his Canberra colleagues — including both moderates and conservatives — were pushing for stronger climate policies, with some already speaking with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to discuss the “huge issue”.
“There is widespread support for the prime minister to take strong action when it comes to climate change … MPs from right across the party, from different states, different factions, all want to see decisive and responsible action when it comes to tackling climate change,” Mr Kean told Sharri Markson on Sky last night.
“Their communities are crying out, (the MPs are) listening to the majority of people in their electorates that are saying ‘we want you to protect our environment but we don’t want you to do in a way that’s going to destroy our economy … and take away jobs — you can do both’.”
Mr Kean said the concerned group of MPs “fully support” Mr Morrison but wanted Australia to seize the opportunity to become the “energy superpower for the rest of the world”.
“The markets we export all our coal to are decarbonising, they’re starting to look for cleaner, cheaper sources of energy and there’s no country on the planet better placed to provide that than Australia,” he said.
Mr Kean said they wanted the community to know there were “other voices out there, in contrast to people like Craig Kelly”.
Mr Kelly came under fire earlier this month after he appeared on UK television and denied any link between climate change and the bushfires.
It is understood one of the commitments MPs are seeking from Mr Morrison is to not use “carry-over credits” to meet the government’s emissions reductions targets under the Paris Agreement.
Australia has committed to reduce its emissions by 26-28 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030 but is able to “carry over” saved emissions from exceeding its targets in the previous Kyoto agreement to achieve this if needed.
It comes as Labor leader Anthony Albanese yesterday called Bill Shorten’s decision to take a 45 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030 to the 2019 election a “mistake”.
Mr Shorten’s refusal to cost Labor’s 45 per cent target during last year’s election became a major issue for the party.