Huge blow to Australia’s coal and gas as the Greens SUPPORT Anthony Albanese’s climate change plan – in return for significant concessions including a ‘cap’ on polluting projects
- The Greens agree to support the safeguard mechanism
- Deal will help cut carbon emissions, Labor says
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Greens leader Adam Bandt announced today that his party has struck a deal with Labor over the key climate policy Anthony Albanese pursued in the federal election. He claimed that the coal and gas industries will be dealt a “major blow” by this.
Bandt’s deal means Energy Secretary Chris Bowen’s safeguard mechanism can now pass the Senate after weeks of Labor claiming the Greens could vote down the proposal, as they did with Kevin Rudd’s emissions plan in 2009.
Before the deal, Mr Bandt and his party had expressed concern that the government’s plan could exacerbate the climate crisis and small party founder Bob Brown railed against the policy.
The policy requires the country’s 215 largest carbon dioxide emitters to reduce pollution by five percent a year through 2030 and sets a “hard cap” on emissions.
Mr Bandt said the bill will include a ‘pollution trigger’ that will require the climate change minister, currently Mr Bowen, to test the impact of new or expanded polluting projects on the country’s cap and net carbon budgets.
“With our important amendments, the Greens will vote to pass the bill and support the regulation, but the battle against all new coal and gas continues,” Bandt said Monday.
Greens leader Adam Bandt announced today that his party has struck a deal with Labor over the climate policy it has taken ahead of the federal election
Mr Bandt said: ‘There will now be a hard limit in legislation on the actual emissions that the security sector is allowed to emit.
“This puts a cap on coal and gas expansion in this country. In fact, the limit should decrease over time.
“There will be, for the first time in this country, a legal limit on the amount of pollution that these companies, including the coal and gas companies, can pollute.
“I want to say to everyone who is despairing about the future under our climate crisis and who is worried about their lives or their children’ or their grandchildren’ that you need to have a springboard today because we have shown that it is possible to take it take on the coal and gas companies and win.”
The government is seeking to pass the mechanism through parliament this week so that the reforms can take effect in July.
Labor needs the support of the Greens plus two crossbenchers to get the coalition opposition bill through the Senate.
The Greens had called on the government to halt all new coal and gas projects in exchange for their support for the bill.
Under the agreement, there will be a cap on gross greenhouse gas emissions, which will not be able to exceed current pollution levels of 140 million tons per year, and there will be a decreasing cap over time.
The safeguard mechanism will now be able to pass the Senate and become law, after weeks of concern the Greens could quash the proposal by refusing to support it
The safeguard mechanism, initiated by the coalition government but under review by Labour, will apply to the country’s 215 largest emitters and force them to cut their emissions by 4.9 per cent a year.
Companies that do not meet the targets can buy CO2 credits.
The policy is considered essential for achieving the climate target of 43 percent emission reduction in 2030 and net zero in 2050.
Leading crossbench senator David Pocock is also in talks with the government, expressing concern over the overuse of carbon offsets under the plan.
Labor needs the support of the Greens plus two crossbenchers to get coalition opposition bill through the Senate
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