Anthony Albanese says action on climate targets ‘not ideological’ but based on reality

While touring farming communities hit by some of the driest conditions on record, the PM called for an end to a “pretty pointless” political debate.

Anthony Albanese says Labor was “not being ideological” on its climate change target, but being “real” on the need for immediate and long-term strategies to tackle climate change.

The Prime Minister made the comments while visiting drought affected farming communities in Fischer, about 96km from Adelaide, where he was asked about the impact of climate change and how he plans on achieving bipartisan support on Labor’s net zero targets.

While former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison initially committed Australia to reaching net zero by 2050, the topic has become a point of political argy-bargy, with some members of the Coalition calling on the party to abandon the promise.

However, Mr Albanese said science had shown that extreme weather events were becoming more common, and said climate wars were “pretty pointless”.

“Getting in a debate about whether, you know, any specific event is because of climate change is, in my view, a cul-de-sac that leads you back to the same place,” he said alongside SA Premier Peter Malinauskas and Agriculture Minister Julie Collins.

“The place is that climate change is real and we need to respond to it.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited drought-affected communities in South Australia on Monday. Picture: NewsWire/ Roy VanDerVegt

He said government had a “responsibility” to tackle both the immediate and long term issues related to climate change, and that the response was not political.

“We’re not being ideological about this, we’re being real about this … the farmers that I meet know there’s something going on with the weather,” he said.

“That’s why we engaged in the lead up to setting those emissions targets that were going forward.”

Labor has so far committed to reaching net zero by 2050, while also reducing emissions by 43 per cent by 2030.

The government has also been under pressure to release the 2035 target, however it is waiting on further consultation with the Climate Change Authority, headed by former NSW Liberal minister Matt Kean.

Speaking on Sunday, Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said he believed Australia was “by and large on track” to meet the 43 per cent 2030 emission reduction targets, despite figures released on Friday revealing that emissions had increased year-on-year by 0.05 per cent.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said Australia was ‘by and large on track’ to meeting its 2030 emissions reductions target. Picture: NewsWire/ Martin Ollman

On Monday, Mr Albanese also announced that the 2025 National Drought Forum will be held in nearby town of Gawler, with the state experiencing some of the driest conditions on record.

Mr Albanese also committed an extra $2m to the Rural Financial Counselling Service, on top of the $36m in previous funding for the Future Drought Fund Communities Program to bolster social resilience among agriculture-dependent communities.

The funding pledge has been welcomed by the National Farmers Federation president David Jochinke who said farmers were facing conditions which “have to be seen to be believed”.

“Things are really tough right now in large parts of South Australia and Victoria, as well as areas in Tasmania, NSW and Western Australia,” he said.

“We’re not just talking about dry paddocks and low rainfall. For some regions, there’s been multiple bad seasons and entire communities are under pressure.

“We thank Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister Julie Collins for showing up and listening. We hope the visit will help them see the urgency of the situation and the need for action.”

Originally published as Anthony Albanese says action on climate targets ‘not ideological’ but based on reality