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Anthony Albanese urged to adopt 70-plus pc emission reductions by 2035

Labor’s environmental wing has urged Anthony Albanese to adopt a 70-plus per cent emissions reduction target by 2035 and pass nature positive laws within a year.

Anthony Albanese is being pushed by the Labor Environment Action Group to adopt a 70-plus per cent emissions reduction target by 2035
Anthony Albanese is being pushed by the Labor Environment Action Group to adopt a 70-plus per cent emissions reduction target by 2035

Labor’s environmental wing is pushing Anthony Albanese to adopt a 70-plus per cent ­emissions-reduction target for 2035 and pass nature positive laws within a year, after the group helped re-elect MPs as a “reward” for opposing the expansion of gas and championing the green cause within the first term of the Labor’s government.

With the Prime Minister’s Left faction having a majority of MPs in federal caucus for the first time, Labor Environment Action Network convener Felicity Wade said the environment needed to be a top priority for a second-term ­Albanese government given ­support the party received from climate-conscious voters.

After the group of 5000 ­members poured resources into helping win the environment vote in eight seats, including ­Bennelong in Sydney, Mac­namara in Melbourne and ­Griffith in Brisbane, Ms Wade said the big ­majority won on Saturday was an opportunity for the government to undertake major reforms to protect the “natural environment”.

Ms Wade said having more ­environmental advocates within caucus was a “pretty key tactic for us”, signalling the group would help campaign for MPs at the next election who pressured Mr Albanese on the issue.

“We are hoping we get the ­nature positive laws done and dusted within 12 months so that we deliver for both business and environment,” she said.

“Fast and clear approvals would be good for productivity and good for the environment.”

With Labor yet to settle on a 2035 emissions-reduction target later this year after receiving ­advice from the Climate Change Authority, Ms Wade said the body backed a commitment to lower emissions by at least 70 per cent of 2005 levels by 2035.

There are some climate and energy experts who argue that the government will struggle to meet its 43 per cent by 2030 target, given the difficulty of meeting the key goal to generate 82 per cent of electricity from renewables by the end of the decade.

“We’d like to see a seven in front of that (2035) target,” Ms Wade said.

“We are aware that the task of implementation is harder than the task of plucking numbers out of the air.

“There are still serious ­challenges that have to be ­addressed around … social licence, people are finding it hard in the ­regions to have the transition changes. But clearly it didn’t ­impact the outcome of Saturday night.”

The call from LEAN comes amid a stoush within the Right faction over how to accommodate an extra minister from the now-dominant Left, with faction bosses in discussions on Tuesday about whether a NSW Right male minister would be chopped in a move that could threaten Industry Minister Ed Husic or Education Minister Jason Clare.

However, the NSW Right is fiercely resisting being downsized and instead arguing the hit should come from Victoria through the Left filling the vacancy from the retirement of Bill Shorten.

Labor MPs will meet in Canberra on Friday to vote on the make-up of the ministry – with portfolios to be decided next week — which will increase the number of both female and Left faction MPs to 50 per cent.

While LEAN had traditionally spent most of its energy lobbying within Labor for stronger ­ambition on the environment and climate change, the group at this election threw its resources ­behind seven MPs who spoke out on green issues within party ­meetings.

The “climate and environment champs” given the “seal of approval” by LEAN were Bennelong MP Jerome Laxale, Macnamara MP Josh Burns, Reid MP Sally Sitou, Cooper MP Ged Kearney, Jagajaga MP Kate Thwaites, Canberra MP Alicia Payne and Fremantle MP Josh Wilson. The support also extended to Griffith candidate Renee Coffey, who is a member of LEAN.

Mr Wilson is the only LEAN-backed candidate who has not yet secured victory. He is locked in a tight battle with a climate-focused independent in the Perth seat of Fremantle.

Anthony Albanese on the campaign trail with Fremantle MP Josh Wilson. Picture: Mark Stewart/NewsWire
Anthony Albanese on the campaign trail with Fremantle MP Josh Wilson. Picture: Mark Stewart/NewsWire

LEAN volunteers dropped leaflets in letterboxes, doorknocked and sent direct mail to 20,000 people in Bennelong as well as advertising in electorates through posters, street stalls and corflutes.

LEAN volunteers would tell voters in the target seats that the MPs were examples of climate and environmental campaigners working within a Labor government who could make a bigger ­difference than someone from a minor party or an independent.

There were different tactics used by volunteers depending on the electorate.

In the former Greens-held seat of Griffith, there were 26 “kitchen table conversations” in Greens-dominant suburbs where locals invited neighbours to hear Ms Coffey argue the case for the need for environmental advocates within Labor.

In Bennelong, the focus was on suburbs with a high number of teal voters that were brought into the seat following the abolition of North Sydney.

“We spent most time in Greenwich, the strongest teal vote area — Jerome won that booth 67 per cent (on a two-party preferred basis),” Ms Wade said.

“Jerome won every booth in our target area, bar Hunters Hill.”

Labor Environment Action Network convener Felicity Wade. Picture: Ryan Osland
Labor Environment Action Network convener Felicity Wade. Picture: Ryan Osland

Ms Wade said the LEAN-backed MPs and candidates had pushed for more action on the stalled environment laws, including the creation of an Environmental Protection Agency that was opposed by the West Australian Labor government.

She said some of the MPs also spoke out against the government’s Future Gas Strategy, which advocated opening new gas fields to support the increasing role of renewables.

“They were constantly noisy and energetic within both the ­caucus, within the internal committees … talking to the leadership about how important these issues were to them,” Ms Wade said.

“The gas strategy was a point where some of them said the emphasis of this message isn’t cool.

“A number of them worked really hard on trying to get the nature laws over the line.

“(The government had) an ­incredibly busy agenda but these people kept pushing environment and climate up the list.

“We wanted to reward them. We wanted there to be some reward for sticking their necks out.”

Mr Albanese went to the last election vowing to reform ­environmental laws but was ­accused of achieving virtually nothing on the issue, due to disagreements between green groups and business.

The Prime Minister was accused of intervening to kill a proposed deal on establishing the EPA – a new green cop – between Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and the Greens.

On Monday, Mr Albanese said he was committed to creating an EPA that “supports industry but also supports sustainability”.

Read related topics:Anthony AlbaneseClimate Change
Greg Brown
Greg BrownCanberra Bureau chief

Greg Brown is the Canberra Bureau chief. He previously spent five years covering federal politics for The Australian where he built a reputation as a newsbreaker consistently setting the national agenda.

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/anthony-albanese-urged-to-adopt-70plus-pc-emission-reductions-by-2035/news-story/ffc17ef6672f36085cf3720ec6895c94