Labor’s renewables position ‘ideological craziness’, Joel Fitzgibbon says

Joel Fitzgibbon lashed Labor colleagues after they used the Senate to strike out an expansion of the remit of the renewable energy agency.

Joel Fitzgibbon has launched a fresh assault on Anthony Albanese’s climate change policies, condemning the “ideological craziness” of the Labor leader’s decision to block expanding the investment mandate of the renewable energy agency.

The Hunter MP said the position, spearheaded by NSW Right MP Chris Bowen, “isn’t very clever” and meant Labor had opposed $1.2bn of ­public investment in reducing emissions “simply because we don’t like the entities being used to spend the additional money”.

Under regulations blocked in the Senate by Labor and the Greens on Tuesday night, ARENA would have been allowed to invest in carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and electric car infrastructure.

The Australian understands the government will lodge a new regulatory instrument to expand the remit of ARENA within a week, forcing Labor to push ­another disallowance motion.

Labor argues that while it does not oppose technology such as carbon capture and storage, the ARENA fund should be used only to fund renewables.

Mr Fitzgibbon said Labor’s position “sends the message that we don’t support carbon capture and storage”.

“If people are serious about getting global emissions down they should be embracing the idea of taking the carbon out of the fossil fuel process and burying it in the ground,” Mr Fitzgibbon told 2GB radio on Wednesday.

“Secondly, to give one example, some of the $194m that should have gone into ARENA if it were not for last night was going to be used to roll out electric ­vehicle charging stations in the regions.

“That opportunity has now passed us all because that money won’t be available.”

Mr Bowen, the opposition ­energy spokesman, lauded the Senate for overruling “(Energy Minister) Angus Taylor’s outrageous attempt to take renewables”. “He thought he’d sneak around the parliament by bringing down a regulation; a regulation that credible lawyers say is and was illegal. Well now, the parliament has decided. The parliament has decided that Angus Taylor is wrong,” Mr Bowen said.

“Angus Taylor doesn’t believe in renewable jobs. Now, if he wants to invest in things like carbon capture and storage he can look at restoring the Labor programs he cut, that the government cut.

“If he wants to look at electric vehicles, he can look at adopting Labor’s policy reducing the cost of electric vehicles.”

Mr Fitzgibbon has also been critical of Mr Albanese for opposing the government’s push to streamline environmental approvals by putting the decision in the hands of the states.

The reform of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which would expunge federal approvals, is ­supported by the states, including West Australian Labor Premier Mark McGowan.

Scott Morrison used question time to turn up the heat on Labor over its opposition to the one-touch approvals process.

“It is incredibly disappointing that the Labor Party, in the parliament, is opposing our efforts to make it easier for major investments in resources projects, particularly in states like Western Australia, by opposing our changes to the EPBC Act,” the Prime Minister said.

“Even the Labor Premier of Western Australia and all Labor premiers in this country are calling on the Labor opposition to support this bill to ensure we can improve investment.”

Mr Taylor said: “It is clear the ideological zealots in the Labor Party are running the show.”