“We will continue these negotiations in good faith to see if we can reach a position where we can pass legislation that allows us to start taking climate action,because that’s what people want.”
The Greenswon a record four lower house seats in the May federal election and at the time Bandt said the result granted the minor party a “climate mandate ... to push for a plan to deal with coal and gas”.
When asked if he could seek reforms to ban coal and gas through other legislation Bandt agreed,saying “there are a variety of ways that this issue could be tackled”. He claimed Labor’s current position would be unpopular with voters.
“The government publicly is making it very,very clear that they want more coal and gas. I don’t think that is ultimately a tenable position.”
Bowen on Mondaypromised to change the original draft of the bill to make clear the government’s legislated target to cut emissions 43 per cent on 2005 levels was a minimum and could not,as the Greens feared,become an upper limit on climate action.
Another change to the bill proposed by Labor,to insert the 43 per cent emissions reduction target into the objectives of key agencies such as CSIRO,the Clean Energy Finance Corporation,Infrastructure Australia and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency,has been welcomed by Bandt.
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“We’ve expressed concerns the bill had no teeth,so it’s another positive development in negotiations that some agencies will now have to take into account the climate targets and Paris temperature goals,and we hope we can continue to make progress,” he said.
The bill presents a dilemma for the minor party as it revives memories of its role in blocking the Rudd government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
While the former Labor government was responsible for withdrawing the CPRS from parliament in 2010,the Greens have shouldered blame from some for helping to ignite Australia’s decade-long climate wars when they deemed the scheme inadequate and blocked the legislation.
Australia is a signatory to the Paris Agreement,which is overseen by the United Nations. It requires countries to increase emissions reduction over time and a new target for 2035 is due by early 2025 – within this term of parliament.
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced changes to the federal government’s proposed climate change legislation on Monday.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen.
Bowen on Tuesday said the agreement is “very clear ... all future targets must be better than previous targets”.
“The[United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] wouldn’t accept a target which is backsliding. We’ve made that explicit in the legislation.”
“In due course,I’ll advise the cabinet on the 2035 target and that will be advised by the Climate Change Authority and hopefully I’m still climate change minister when we are setting the 2040 target as well,” he said.