Scott Morrison to resist global coal ban pressure at G20

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would resist pressure at the G20 summit to phase out fossil fuels like coal.

Decarbonising the world is a similar challenge to creating vaccines to end the Covid pandemic, Scott Morrison says, and he wants to prioritise working with other countries to develop new low emissions technologies to find solutions.

Speaking after touching down in Rome, the Prime Minister said Australia’s net zero plan was “crystal clear”, and that he would resist pressure at this weekend’s G20 talks and the Glasgow climate summit to phase out fossil fuels including coal.

“Our policy is very clear - we’re not engaged in those sorts of mandates and bans,“ he said.

Mr Morrison also spoke about his call with French President Emmanuel Macron, saying his counterpart expressed “obvious disappointment which we respect and understand” about Australia’s cancellation of its $90bn submarine contract.

“We’ve started the way back and I think that’s a positive thing,” he said.

The prime minister will also push for global rules on social media giants. They can only truly commit to improving online safety if world leaders agree on a common set of rules to hold them accountable, Mr Morrison will say at this weekend’s summit.

As Facebook changes its name to Meta, amid intense scrutiny prompted by whistleblower revelations about its operations, Mr Morrison is pursuing a global commitment to treat social media platforms as publishers.

Mr Morrison landed in Rome on Friday night ahead of the G20, during which he will also hold one-on-one talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo to settle any concerns about Australia’s new plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

Key issues on the G20 agenda include locking in a new global minimum corporate tax rate, as well as emissions reduction ahead of next week’s Glasgow climate change summit.

The leaders will also discuss the economic and health recovery from Covid, with Mr Morrison pushing for enhanced disease surveillance and greater transparency to prevent a repeat of the Covid pandemic.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Energy Minister Angus Taylor chat in the boardroom on the way to the G20 in Rome. Picture: Adam Taylor/PMO

He will use his first speaking opportunity at the G20 to argue for multinational principles governing social media that would remove the “shield of anonymity” exploited by bullies “destroying people’s lives”.

“When there are common accountabilities and obligations that run across multiple jurisdictions, we will see digital platform companies truly invest in making the online world safer,” Mr Morrison said.

The G20 talks, held amid tight security in the Italian capital, mark the first in-person meeting between the leaders since the pandemic began, although Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend.

Mr Morrison will continue to advocate for open trade and reforms to the World Trade Organisation, as Australia tackles China’s ongoing campaign of economic coercion.

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Facebook Inc., speaks during the virtual Facebook Connect event, where the company announced its rebranding as Meta, in New York. Picture: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

He will also hold bilateral talks with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Korean President Moon Jae-in, Spanish President Pedro Sanchez and WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

US President Joe Biden also landed in Rome on Friday and was expected to hold his first face-to-face meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron since the AUKUS defence pact was unveiled and Australia ripped up its $90bn French submarines contract.

Mr Macron and Mr Morrison broke the ice on Thursday, with the French President saying Australia’s decision “broke the relationship of trust between our two countries”.

Ahead of Glasgow, G20 host Italy wants a specific commitment to reduce methane emissions, but Mr Morrison has already rejected that to protect Australian farmers.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the meetings were “a moment of truth” for leaders to curb global warming, with the world still remaining on a “very dangerous course”.