Peter Dutton says Coalition won’t reveal emissions reduction climate target before election

Peter Dutton has indicated energy policy will be a key election battle, digging in on his vow to scrap Labor’s legislated emissions target.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has indicated that he won’t reveal the Coalition’s plans to reduce carbon emissions before the next federal election after vowing to scrap Labor’s legislated target of 43 per cent by 2030.

Mr Dutton said he would unveil his revised target “in due course” after reporters pressed him to reveal an alternative to Australia’s commitment to the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

“We’re not going to do things that hurt Australians. The Labor Party can try and please people in Paris, my job is to take care of the Australian people,” Mr Dutton told reporters in Sydney.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said he would unveil his target in due course. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

Mr Dutton’s pledge to withdraw from the 2030 target has attracted intense criticism from both the federal government and independent MPs including Kylea Tink who said his calls were “bordering on criminal”.

“The move would not only immediately stall current economic gains but would also send a clear message to younger Australian’s that Peter Dutton’s party is prepared to completely abdicate their responsibility to fix the mess that a decade of poor climate leadership from the Coalition has already created,” Ms Tink wrote in a statement.

Mr Dutton said he was still committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and signalled it could be achieved through a mix of gas, nuclear power and renewables.

Meanwhile, senior Nationals MPs have called for Australia to withdraw its support entirely for the Paris climate agreement.

The global climate pact was signed by nearly 200 countries in 2015 and requires its signatories to commit to reducing the rise in the earth’s average global temperatures to “well below” 2C.

Nationals senator Matt Canavan joined Nationals MPs Keith Pitt and Barnaby Joyce to demand the government withdraw from the international treaty, describing it as a “ridiculous facade”.

“We are out of step here with the rest of the world and that’s why our economy is weakening,” he told Sky on Tuesday.

The Liberal Party lost six seats to independents who campaigned heavily on climate action after the 2022 election. Picture: Gary Ramage/NCA NewsWire.

Nationals senator Matt Canavan has called for Australia to pull out of the Paris agreement. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

Sydney-based independent Sophie Scamps said Mr Dutton’s intention to change the target meant that the Coalition had “given up” on its efforts to reclaim support from voters in key inner-city seats.

“We know from listening to people (that) people felt very strongly that we needed good action on climate change and strong leadership,” Ms Scamps said.

Climate Minister Chris Bowen said Australia was on track to meet its target of a 43 per cent emissions cut and said work was under way to draft a 2035 target that he said was “achievable”

“Last December, I released the lowest forecasts which, as you said, shows 42 per cent which is very much within striking distance of 43 per cent,” he told ABC.

“We have more to do, we have the capacity investment scheme which we’re rolling out. That is the biggest investment in renewable energy in Australian history.”

Originally published as Peter Dutton says Coalition won’t reveal emissions reduction climate target before election