Peter Dutton pushes back on pressure to support ALP emissions target

Peter Dutton will resist pressure from Liberal moderates to back Anthony Albanese’s emissions ­reduction target.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Picture: Getty Images

Peter Dutton will resist pressure from Liberal moderates to back Anthony Albanese’s emissions ­reduction target, with internal ­Coalition talks shifting to adopting more ambitious climate change policies before the 2025 election.

Ahead of a vote on Labor’s ­climate-change bill in the House of Representatives this week, a shadow cabinet meeting on Monday night was expected to rubberstamp the Coalition’s opposition to a legislated 43 per cent emissions reduction cut by 2030.

Amid a worsening energy ­crisis, concerns the legislation will be weaponised by activists and cracks in the Prime Minister’s promise to slash electricity bills by $275, the Opposition Leader will keep his ­options open to devise a new ­climate-change ­approach before the election.

With moderate Liberal MPs Andrew Bragg and Bridget Archer arguing for greater climate ambition ahead of the joint Coalition partyroom meeting on Tuesday, Senator Bragg said he was focused on outcomes and “not the ­embroidery”.

“The most important thing is not the bill itself but the medium- to long-term view we take on emissions reduction,” Senator Bragg said.

Mr Dutton is facing calls from some Liberals to land a mainstream climate-change position after the party bled city seats to teal independents and Labor at the May 21 election.

New analysis by Solutions for Climate Australia, overlaying Australian Conservation Foundation YouGov climate sentiment polling of 15,000 voters with federal electorate margins, shows the ­Coalition could struggle to win the 18 seats it needs to form government. It reveals Mr Dutton would need to overcome margins of 5 per cent to 10 per cent to pick up Labor-held outer-suburban and regional electorates if the Liberals failed to reclaim ground in inner-city seats.

Climate-change sentiment is also high in Liberal seats held on razor-thin margins in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Solutions for Climate Australia director Barry Traill said if the ­Coalition didn’t shift, “the electoral realities indicate that they will be unelectable at future elections on climate alone”.

“There isn’t a pathway to 18-plus new seats without strong ­climate policies,” Dr Traill said.

“As well they face the ­additional risk that individual current ­Coalition MPs in now marginal seats such as Sturt, Menzies, Casey, and even Dickson will be at risk unless they separate themselves from the party lines by individual bold actions on climate, such as crossing the floor to support the current ­climate bill in parliament.”

With Labor requiring the support of the Greens and one crossbencher to push its climate-change bill through the Senate, Adam Bandt is expected to finalise a position with his partyroom on Tuesday night.

Mr Bandt will update the Greens’ position in a National Press Club speech on Wednesday, before a likely Senate vote in September. The Greens this week introduced legislation in the Senate to apply a “climate trigger” on major polluting projects.

Independent ACT senator David Pocock has made clear he will back the target but is pushing Labor on extra measures.

The Australia Institute’s climate and energy director, Richie Merzian, said “the path back to government for the Coalition ­requires a genuine climate policy”.

“Whether it’s the inner city or the outer suburbs, public opinion across the electoral pendulum on climate integrity is clear,” Mr Merzian said.

A group of eight business, ­investor and conservation groups, including the ACF, Investor Group on Climate Change, ­Australian Industry Group and Australian Institute of Company Directors, this week backed the climate-change bill because it delivers “greater policy certainty to support investment in the ­transition to a low-carbon economy”.