Coalition MPs await 'robust debate' on Australia's post-2020 climate target

Extract from The Guardian

The prime minister, Tony Abbott, expected to face ‘spirited’ discussion in the party room on the government’s climate policy

An open-cut mine in the Hunter Valley. Queensland Liberal National MP Ewen Jones says ‘base load power from coal or gas is still the answer in the medium term’. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Katharine Murphy and Daniel Hurst

Monday 13 July 2015 18.29 AEST 

Tony Abbott will face an internal debate on Australia’s post-2020 emissions reduction targets as government MPs signal the looming Coalition party room discussion will be “robust”.
The Abbott government was expected to confirm Australia’s target for December’s United Nations-led climate talks in Paris either this week or next week, but on Monday the prime minister delayed the announcement until parliament resumed in August.
It is understood ministerial work on the Paris target is well advanced, and a range of other countries, including China, the US and the European Union, have already unveiled their post-2020 commitments for Paris.
But Abbott said Australia’s post-2020 target would have to be discussed not only in cabinet but by the Coalition party room in August before the detail could be confirmed publicly.

Australia's post-2020 climate target will not be revealed until August 

Australia’s contribution to the global process would be “strong and credible” but Abbott would not “flag any final position in advance of due process and proper consideration”.
Coalition MPs welcomed the prime minister’s decision to consult.
The West Australian Liberal senator Chris Back told Guardian Australia the prime minister had endured what Abbott had characterised as a “near-death experience” in February for failing to consult the party room on significant decisions.
Given the previous problems with unilateralism, Back said he was “very pleased” Abbott had elected to consult colleagues before an announcement on the post-2020 emissions reduction targets.

“There will be a spirited debate and a spectrum of opinions. [Climate policy] is a robust debate inside our party room,” Back said.
He was not in a position to nominate his preferred reduction target but: “I certainly will be one who is watching this decision closely.”
Ewen Jones, the Liberal National party MP for the north Queensland seat of Herbert, also welcomed Abbott’s decision, saying it would be wrong “to presume that cabinet knows all when there are different points of view on this”.
“I would have thought that a decision like this would be going to the party room as a matter of course,” he said. “It was the party room that led the revolt against the original carbon tax; it was the party room that decided what we would do with that.”
Australia’s post-2020 target was a “big decision” and while he would not nominate a desired figure he indicated it should be “modest”.
“Let’s see what the rest of the world is doing, and the one thing we can’t let happen is we can’t continue to crucify industry in this country,” he said. “I want businesses to be able to compete.”
He was not opposed to any particular form of energy source – such as wind – and supported “a mosaic” of supplies.
“I am of the view that base load power from coal or gas is still the answer in the medium term but that renewables will play an increasing role in developing the north of this country,” he said.
The environment minister, Greg Hunt, has already signalled Australia would take a more ambitious position to Paris than the pre-2020 target, which is a 5% cut on 2000 levels.
Australia is under pressure internationally to pull its weight because concerns have been expressed about the efficacy of the Abbott’s government’s domestic climate policies.
The pre-2020 emissions reduction target is a bipartisan position.
But while Abbott and the government leadership will face internal pushback if the Paris target is regarded as too ambitious by Coalition MPs who question the veracity of climate science, or do not want to impose significant adjustment costs on the economy, Labor faces the opposite.

Australia must cut carbon emissions by 30% by 2025, says Climate Change Authority 

There is a grassroots push for the Labor party to lock in now behind post-2020 emissions reduction targets recently recommended by the Climate Change Authority.
The Labor environment action network wants Labor to pull ahead of the Coalition by nominating a binding commitment at the looming ALP national conference.
The network’s motion – to be debated on the middle day of the Labor conference in Melbourne later this month – seeks to amend the party’s environment platform to lock in the most recent advice from the Climate Change Authority, which was that Australia should reduce emissions by 30% by 2025 on 2000 levels, and aim to reduce carbon pollution by 40% to 60% by 2030.
“This is an opportunity for Labor to take the space,” said the network’s Felicity Wade on Monday. “Now the Climate Change Authority has provided the advice, we should just adopt the recommendations.”
The motion will also call on the ALP to “adopt policies to deliver at least 50% of our electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030”.
The renewable energy sector is confident Labor is preparing to adopt a significantly beefed up renewable energy target for its pre-election policy.