Climate change bill gets clear air to pass through parliament

Anthony Albanese’s climate-change bill is expected to pass through the parliament after teal independents and the Greens secured concessions.

Adam Bandt will announce the Greens’ position on the climate-change bill in a National Press Club speech on Wednesday . Picture: Gary Ramage

Anthony Albanese’s climate-change bill is expected to pass through the parliament after teal independents and the Greens secured concessions to support Labor’s 43 per cent medium-term emissions reduction target.

After splits emerged among Greens MPs pushing for a higher target, Adam Bandt will announce the left-wing party’s position in a National Press Club speech on Wednesday following a meeting with colleagues overnight. The Greens, which have a 75 per cent emissions-reduction- by-2030 target, were expected to reach a consensus to support the Prime Minister’s key climate-change election pledge ahead of a vote in the House of ­Representatives as early as ­Wednesday.

Greens MPs, who want to stop coal and gas exports and introduce a climate trigger assessing major polluting projects, have expressed concerns that backing the legislation could alienate voters who backed their ambitious agenda at the May 21 election.

The Australian understands senior Greens MPs and Mr Bandt, who has been locked in negotiations with Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen since the election, want to avoid being seen as legislative blockers in the opening weeks of the 47th parliament.

Labor requires the support of the Greens’ 12 senators and one crossbench senator when the bill moves to the Senate in ­September.

The Greens and teal independent MPs Sophie Scamps, Kylea Tink, Kate Chaney and Helen Haines have put forward amendments, which were likely to be supported by the government if they did not fundamentally change the intent, mandate or principles of the legislation.

Peter Dutton on Tuesday formally rejected Labor’s climate-change bill and announced a review of the Coalition’s emissions-reduction policies, including the potential to adopt nuclear technologies.

The review, led by senior moderate Marise Payne and the opposition’s climate change spokesman, Ted O’Brien, will report back on options for more ambitious emissions reduction targets ahead of the 2025 election.

In the Coalition partyroom meeting, moderate Liberal MPs Andrew Bragg, Bridget Archer and James Stevens expressed concerns about voting against the bill, warning that the Coalition should not give the impression that it was opposed to emissions reduction.

They said the Coalition parties needed to inject some nuance into the debate after federal Liberal Party director Andrew Hirst last week told MPs that 67 per cent of voters had rejected the Morrison government’s climate change policies.

Mr O’Brien said the opposition would “absolutely” increase its 2030 emissions reduction target beyond its current 26-to-28 per cent goal. “We do believe as a party in reducing emissions … we need real action to tackle climate change, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.

Senator Bragg welcomed the nuclear taskforce and said his focus was on “stronger commitments to get emissions down … My priority is for the ­Coalition to adopt a stronger emissions reduction policy.”

The Australian understands senior Liberal moderate frontbencher Simon Birmingham was overruled by shadow cabinet colleagues on Monday night after suggesting the Coalition accept Labor's climate change bill.

Moderate MPs on Tuesday welcomed the Opposition Leader’s commitment to higher emissions reduction targets but said the test would be what they were, how they were set and what policies would be adopted to achieve them.

In his NPC speech, Mr Bandt will declare that the “Greens are now in a powerful position” boasting four lower house MPs and 12 Senators. The Greens are expected to push for amendments to the climate change bill that won’t be backed by the Albanese government.

“The Liberals are irrelevant. With Peter Dutton as their leader, we expect they will go backwards. Labor is now the party of the ­centre-right. The Greens are now the only social democratic party in Australia,” Mr Bandt will say.

Teal independents are supporting amendments including “ensuring regional Australia benefits from action on climate change”, publishing Climate Change Authority advice within 15 sitting days of it being handed to government and describing the 43 per cent target as “the ­absolute minimum of our ­ambition”.

Dr Scamps said the bill must have clear objectives anchoring it to the Paris Agreement and called for a statutory review to assess its effectiveness after five years.

Ms Chaney said she had “specifically worked on an amendment to ensure the bill clearly states that its intention is to actually drive climate action and is linked to the science”.

“Chris Bowen has proactively sought input from the crossbench and has been receptive to many amendments. I have had a number of discussions with the rest of the community independents, whose suggested amendments are broadly consistent,” the Curtin MP said.

Ms Haines’ amendments requires the Climate Change Authority to protect “economic, employment and social benefits, including for rural and regional Australia”.

Additional reporting: SARAH ISON