CLIMATE CHANGE AUTHORITY SAYS AUSTRALIA NEEDS TO STEP UP EMISSIONS REDUCTION EFFORTS

Media Release

Date:  27 February 2014

The recommendations announced by the Climate Change Authority today outline new challenges for the Abbott Government’s inadequate policy.

“The Abbott Government’s current policy con won’t meet its five per cent reduction target and that’s why it has refused to provide any detail for the public to scrutinise,” Shadow Climate Change Minister Mark Butler said.

“The Coalition’s Direct Action policy is nothing but a dressed up slush fund which will be ineffective and costly.

The CCA has recommended an increase in Australia’s emissions reduction target to a minimum 15 per cent of 2000 levels by 2020.

Under existing legislation, the Government must provide a formal response to the CCA’s recommendations by May. Labor calls on the Abbott Government to seriously consider the independent advice provided by the CCA in this response.

“To date, Tony Abbott and Greg Hunt have chosen to ignore independent expert advice. The Prime Minister and the Environment Minister should read this report, talk to the experts and reconsider their long held stance of rejecting the experts’ advice.”

The Labor Government established the CCA to provide independent advice on Australia’s emissions reduction targets and to regularly review these targets.

“Before the election, Tony Abbott committed to the bipartisan emissions reduction target range of between 5 and 25 per cent. The Prime Minister needs to indicate clearly whether he remains committed to this range and break with his tradition of ignoring the advice of experts,” Mr Butler said.

Labor has said it would seriously consider the recommendations of the CCA in setting its own emissions reduction targets for its proposed Emissions Trading Scheme.

“An ETS allows for targets to be more flexible.”

The world’s two largest emitters, China and the United States, are stepping up their efforts on climate change. Australia has a formal commitment to reduce its emissions and we need to participate in global efforts to address climate change.

“The rest of the world is going forwards, while Tony Abbott and Greg Hunt are taking Australia backwards,” Mr Butler said.