Labor plots ambitious climate election pledge

Labor is gearing up to announce an ambitious climate policy to challenge Scott Morrison as it heads into next year’s election.

Labor is leaning towards pledging a 2030 emissions reduction target of at least 40 per cent, in a move that would set up a crucial battle on climate change at next year’s election.

As the target debate within the opposition heats up, leader Anthony Albanese indicated this week he wanted a more ambitious plan, saying the government had promised a 35 per cent cut “by doing nothing”.

Senior Labor figures have told the Herald Sun the most likely option is a 2030 target between the government’s projection and the 45 per cent reduction they promised unsuccessfully at the last election.

Scott Morrison will again take a 26-28 per cent commitment — based on 2005 emissions levels — to the next election, although the government forecasts it will deliver a cut of 30-35 per cent by the end of the decade.

Leader of the Labor Party, Anthony Albanese. Picture: Gaye Gerard

The Business Council of Australia, which described Labor’s target in 2019 at “economy wrecking”, is now encouraging a plan to bring down emissions by 46 to 50 per cent by 2030.

An analysis of state and ­territory commitments by ­ClimateWorks Australia, based at Monash University, estimates the combined impact of those targets would be a ­nationwide cut of 37 to 42 per cent.

Speaking on Monday, the Labor leader said he would unveil his climate policy before the end of the year. Asked about the government’s 35 per cent projection, Mr Albanese said: “The government itself says it will achieve that … and they have no plan for 2030 outlined.”

Mr Albanese said a Labor government “will tackle climate change and will join the world rather than being in the naughty corner, as Australia is under this government”.

“You have Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil and Australia as the only industrialised countries that refuse to increase their 2030 commitment,” he said.

“Labor will always engage with the world and will punch above our weight. Why do we do that? Because it’s in our ­national interest.”

Asked about the Herald Sun’s report on Wednesday, Mr Albanese refused to be drawn on whether the party’s 2030 target would be above 40 per cent.

“We’ll release our policy in the fullness of time. We’ll give it proper consideration,” he said.

“We’ll examine it in a considered way. We’ll examine it in the context of the outcome of the Glasgow conference as we said we would.”

“Glasgow has said that countries should come back with more ambition.”

Labor has already announced several energy policies – including incentives to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles – which party insiders said could be used to demonstrate how they would achieve a higher target.

Several MPs including Josh Burns and Anne Aly have urged Mr Albanese to be more ambitious than the government, while others only want to match the PM’s commitment to prevent a repeat of his political attack in 2019.

Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers said on Tuesday Labor’s plan would have “the right level of ambition”, as he pointed to the Business Council’s proposal that would “create more jobs and more opportunities”.

“We need to do something meaningful about climate change … Australia needs to be part of the solution, not part of the problem,” he said.