Tanya Plibersek slams Greens’ threats to kill Labor’s climate policy

Tanya Plibersek says Greens voters would be ‘shocked’ to see the party’s MPs voting alongside Peter Dutton and Barnaby Joyce.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek. Picture: Dan Peled

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has attacked the Greens over threats to kill Labor’s safeguard mechanism, arguing Australia cannot afford another decade of inaction on carbon pollution.

Ms Plibersek said Greens voters would be “shocked” to see the party’s MPs lining up to vote alongside Peter Dutton and Barnaby Joyce to vote against climate action and affordable housing.

“We cannot afford to relive this past decade of inaction when Liberal governments simply gave up on our environment, blocking action on climate change, sabotaging the Murray Darling Basin Plan, ignoring the extension crisis, pretending the mass bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef wasn’t happening.

“Now, this is no surprise, coming from the Liberals and Nationals, they never pretended to care about the environment.

“But I think that Greens voters would actually be shocked to see Greens members of

parliament getting ready to sit next to Peter Dutton and Barnaby Joyce to vote against action on climate change.

“They would be shocked to see the Greens voting with the Liberals and Nationals against a safeguard mechanism.”

Greens stance ‘entirely unhelpful’

Resources minister Madeleine King said the Greens “take it or leave it” stance on banning new fossil fuel projects was “entirely unhelpful” and out of touch with the reality of Australia’s energy market.

“The truth of the matter is we will need gas for this country to continue for its energy security,” Ms King said on Sky News this morning.

Madeleine King, Minister for Resources, at Parliament House, Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The Labor government had not “ruled anything in or out”, she said, but Australia needs gas “in the short-term, medium-term and long-term”.

“We won’t get to net-zero emissions in this country, or indeed the world, without the resources sector, without gas, and even without coal. You cannot build a wind turbine without coal,” she said.

Battlelines between Labor and the Greens are being drawn over the government’s safeguard mechanism - part of the Albanese government’s signature climate policy.

The Greens are refusing to back the legislation unless the government agrees to rule out any new fossil fuel projects, in line with recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In its existing form Labor’s policy would stop the release of 200m tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.

“If the Greens choose not to support that then I guess that will be on their head,” Ms King said.

Speaking earlier, assistant treasurer Stephen Jones said the Greens must stop making impossible demands or risk setting back climate policy a decade.

“Making demands that can’t be met simply is not going to help anybody who is committed to reducing carbon emissions in this country,” Mr Jones told Sky News on Wednesday.

“What we don’t want to see is a return to 2009 when the Greens ganged up with the then coalition parties to scuttle the carbon reduction pollution scheme and put climate policy back a decade.”

The Albanese government’s signature ­climate policy, which underpins their election promise to achieve 43 per cent emissions reductions by 2030, is on the brink of collapse as the Greens prepare to kill Labor’s safeguard mechanism.

Also on Wednesday, the Greens say they are willing to work “in good faith” with the government on their climate bill, while doubling down on their ultimatum over new fossil fuel projects.

“The Greens have made an offer to the government - we’ll pass their Safeguard Mechanism changes with just one amendment: To stop new coal and gas projects,” Greens leader Adam Bandt said on Twitter.

“We’re in a climate crisis - and you don’t fix a problem by making it worse.

“Every new coal and gas project speeds up global heating, and we’re running out of time to turn it around.”

Mr Bandt said his party had “huge concerns” with other parts of the scheme but were willing to compromise.

“All we’re asking is to do what the science tells us is the bare minimum,” he said.

We'll work in good faith with the government on this.

All we're asking is to do what the science tells us is the bare minimum.

No new coal and gas.

— Adam Bandt (@AdamBandt) February 15, 2023

Mr Bandt has issued a “red line” demand for the government to ban new coal and gas projects, fuelling concerns among senior government and ­industry figures that he will repeat Bob Brown’s scuttling of Kevin Rudd’s carbon reduction scheme in 2009.

Mr Bandt, who is refusing to back a raft of key legislation ­including the government’s ­marquee climate, manufacturing and housing policies, said the Greens would blow up the ­safeguard mechanism unless the Prime Minister stopped fossil-fuel projects.

Mr Bandt said the Greens would support Labor’s tougher safeguard mechanism – forcing Australia’s 215 biggest-polluting facilities to slash emissions by ­almost 5 per cent each year out to 2030 – if the government “stops opening new coal and gas mines”.

Mr Jones said the government had put together a package that “gets the balance right” and will help the manufacturing industry transition to zero emissions.

“I’d simply say this to the Greens: we want to work with you and everybody else in the parliament to ensure we can meet those carbon reduction goals that we’ve set ourselves,” Mr Jones said.