Election 2025: Greens make final demand on Labor for power-sharing arrangement

Adam Bandt has unveiled the last of his key demands for Labor to secure the Greens’ support in a hung parliament.

Greens leader Adam Bandt. Picture: Valeriu Campan/NewsWire

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Climate ministers would have the power to cancel coal and gas projects under a plan to be unveiled by Greens leader Adam Bandt in the last of his key demands for Labor to secure his support in a hung ­parliament.

In a direct attack on Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, Mr Bandt will on Monday unveil his latest policy in Ms Plibersek’s Sydney seat and hold her personally responsible for the approval of more than 30 new coal and gas projects since 2022.

Mr Bandt will demand Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen use his powers, set up after negotiations over the safeguard mechanism in 2023, to circumvent Ms Plibersek and cancel emissions heavy projects.

“In the middle of a climate crisis, Tanya Plibersek has approved new coalmines that will release 2.5 billion tonnes of climate pollution. If the Environment Minister won’t act, the Greens will get the Climate Minister to do it,” Mr Bandt will say.

“If you want climate action, you have to vote for it because it’s clear Labor won’t act on climate unless pushed.

“The Greens gave the Climate Minister the power to stop new coal and gas mines with the stroke of a pen, and with more Greens in minority parliament we’ll get him to use it.”

Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek on the campaign trail in NSW. Picture: Jason Edwards/NewsWire

Ms Plibersek, a key left faction rival of Anthony Albanese, was appointed to the environment portfolio after Labor won the 2022 election, despite expectations she would be education minister.

While refusing to categorise it as a demotion, Ms Plibersek revealed to the Australian at the time that she had been “surprised” by the Prime Minister’s move.

The expanded powers granted to climate ministers in 2023 allow for the intervention in coal and gas projects that breach a “hard cap” on the amount of climate pollution permitted under the scheme.

The Greens will seek that those powers be exercised so that the permissible pollution from new mines is set at zero and the new mines are unable to purchase offsets for any pollution above that level.

It follows the release of other key demands from the minor party for its support in a hung parliament, including grandfathering negative gearing arrangements until they are completely axed and the inclusion of dental services on the Medicare scheme.

Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi said people in Sydney who backed Labor in 2022 now felt “betrayed by Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek”.

“(They) have continued the Liberals’ legacy of opening ­climate-destroying fossil fuel projects,” Senator Faruqi said.

“Australia is on the frontline of the climate crisis, and every one of Labor’s more than 30 coal and gas approvals puts more people at risk.

“This election, people are backing the Greens to deliver the outcome we’d hoped for after the last climate election – a parliament that stops new coal and gas.”

Ms Plibersek’s future in the next term of government was in the news earlier this month when Mr Albanese refused to say whether she would stay on in her current role, despite his having made such assurances for other frontbenchers, including Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Defence Minister Richard Marles and Jim Chalmers.

The relationship between Mr Albanese and Ms Plibersek was once more thrown under the microscope when the Labor leader appeared to block the Environment Minister from embracing him at the Labor launch in Perth.

Mr Albanese hosed down ­rumours over his ongoing tension with Ms Plibersek, declaring that she was “a good friend”.