Labor’s zero emissions target ‘reckless and irresponsible’: Cormann

Labor leader says Australia could still export coal and meet zero target without putting a carbon price, as Coalition slams ‘reckless’ claims.

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has committed to zero net emissions by 2050 if Labor wins government.

Anthony Albanese has dug in over Labor’s zero net emissions pledge, claiming Australia could still export coal and meet it’s 2050 target without the need for putting a price on carbon.

The Opposition Leader has come under heavy attack from the Coalition over the zero net emissions target, blasted as “reckless and irresponsible” by Finanace Minister Mathias Cormann.

Senator Cormann on Sunday argued the production of energy supplies in Australia for export could “help reduce emissions by significantly more in other parts of the world”.

He refused to be pushed on whether the government would support the same target ahead of a global climate summit in Glasgow at the end of the year, saying the Coalition for the moment was focused on implementing its 2030 emissions reduction target.

“We would never be as reckless and irresponsible as Anthony Albanese was on Friday copying the reckless and irresponsible approach by Bill Shorten in the lead up to the last election where he put forward targets without any costings, without any assessment of the impact on jobs on electricity prices and even without any assessment of the impact on global emissions,” Senator Cormann told Sky News on Sunday.

“Imposing a target in Australia that ultimately just shifts emissions to other parts of the world where emissions will be higher for the same level of economic output doesn’t help solve the problem that we’re wanting to solve, and just imposes a sacrifice on people here in Australia for no environmental benefit whatsoever.”

But Mr Albanese claimed it was possible for Australia to meet a zero net emissions target while also being “an energy exporting superpower”.

The Opposition Leader also said Labor did not believe it would need to introduce a price on carbon to achieve it, with ramped-up investment in the renewable energy sector for local energy production coming “largely from the private sector”.

“The private sector have taken up the challenge which is there, because they recognise that action on climate change isn’t just a challenge, it’s an opportunity,” Mr Albanese told the ABC.

Asked if Australia will still be coal mining in 2050 under Labor’s target, Mr Albanese said: “I suspect we will.”

“It’s net, that’s the point,” Mr Albanese said.

“Metallurgical coal at the moment, we don’t have a replacement. There’s some research going on into hydrogen, we don’t have a replacement...A majority of Queensland exports are metallurgical coal, a majority.”

Mr Albanese said the future of thermal coal “will be determined by the market, and by international agreements”.

“It will be determined by global action and one of the ways that global action occurs is that you look at nation states make agreements. You don’t measure the emissions where the original product comes from. Japan isn’t responsible for the emissions of every vehicle that’s built in Japan,” Mr Albanese said.

.@AlboMP confirms Labor's net zero pledge is economy-wide #insiders #Auspol pic.twitter.com/mgCtCsEhne

— Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) February 22, 2020

“The truth is that just as in Australia renewables are becoming cheaper, just as new forms of energy like renewable hydrogen, a way of the future. We can be an energy exporting superpower.”

Mr Albanese has dismissed criticism of Labor’s target by the government, which has labelled him “Bill Shorten 2.0”.

“You need to get Scott Morrison to front up. He’s the leader of this country, he hasn’t shown much leadership lately, which is why people are so disappointed in him,” Mr Albanese said.

“He’s the government, he needs to answer. What is the cost of inaction?”

Senator Cormann said the government would be finalising its position on emissions targets in time for the COP26 summit in Glasgow later this year.

“We’re focused on implementing our 2030 emissions reduction targets and the policies that are required to meet and beat that target,” he said.

“Producing energy supplies in Australia for export generates emissions in Australia which can help reduce emissions by significantly more in other parts of the world where that energy is consumed now.

“If we make the wrong decisions here, not only would we be harming the Australian economy, harming Australian workers. We would also be harming the global environment because if we make it harder for ourselves, for example, to produce more LNG when we know that exporting LNG to places like China and Japan and so on where it displaces more polluting energy sources, when we know that that helps reduce emissions global emissions by more. Well then, I mean that just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.”

.@David_Speers: You are open to a carbon price or not? @AlboMP: “We will establish, well before the election, but we didn't go to the last election with a price on carbon. What we're open to .. are plans like the National Energy Guarantee.”#Auspol #Insiders pic.twitter.com/zllxAhM79N

— Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) February 22, 2020

Asked about tensions between Gladys Berejiklian and Scott Morrison over the rollout of bushfire support payments and loans, Senator Cormann “completely” rejected a report the NSW Premier had refused to answer calls from the Prime Minister. He said “there was absolutely no quibbling”over whether to change the 50/50 funding split between the governments.

On the projected budget surplus, Senator Cormann acknowledged “there’s a lot of movements” between budgets, including the impact of Coronavirus and the bushfire crisis.

“Our most recent forecast was the half yearly budget update in December, that in our half yearly budget update in December we remained on track to achieve a surplus in 2019/20. Our next update will be on the second Tuesday in May. There’s a lot of movements always in between budgets and budget updates, and we will be reconciling that in time for the budget and that’s when our next forecast will be put forward.”

Senator Cormann was also asked about his relationship with Malcolm Turnbull, in particular text messages they exchanged that have been revealed as part of an upcoming book about the downfall of his Mr Turnbull’s prime ministership.

“This is ancient history. I wish Malcolm well, I really do,” he said.