Analysis
Posted
Some Liberal MPs are becoming frustrated with the
Federal Government's inability to sell its climate change policies and
believe the chief salesman, Angus Taylor, is part of the problem.
In
the midst of a seemingly relentless drought, record-breaking heatwave
and bushfire crisis that's choking cities with smoke, debate about
Australia's role in tackling the global challenge has become even more
supercharged than usual.People are getting anxious and "this is not normal" — the phrase employed by New South Wales Liberal Minister Matt Kean to describe the apocalyptic skies above Sydney — could well become the catch cry of this summer.
Liberal insiders know it is a hot issue and they know voters are increasingly looking to the Government to do something "more".
At a recent meeting of Liberal MPs and senators, the party's federal director Andrew Hirst identified climate change and the economy as the biggest issues confronting the country.
It was an obvious statement but one that carried an important message to the sceptics in the room: don't get caught flat-footed.
"It is a massive issue and we have got to engage on it," said one Liberal who was in the meeting.
Another echoed that sentiment, telling the ABC "we need to demonstrate to the community that we take climate change seriously".
"We've been all over the place on climate change for the past decade," the MP said.
The Government's options are limited
Comparisons have been made between the current circumstances and the "perfect storm" which confronted then prime minister John Howard in 2006, when growing community concerns forced him to reverse his government's stance on climate change.It was seen as too little, too late and Mr Howard went on to lose government, and his seat, at the following federal election.
The Morrison Government is under pressure to develop a more coherent policy, possibly through a market mechanism, and adopt a more ambitious emissions reduction target (beyond the promised 26 per cent cut by 2030).
But having ruled out so many measures, the Government's options from here are limited and even those MPs pushing for stronger action are not exactly clear on what that action should be.
Notwithstanding the bungled handling of his pre-Christmas family holiday to Hawaii, Scott Morrison has been careful in his language.
As Treasurer, he famously (or infamously) brought a lump of coal into Parliament, proudly holding it up in Question Time to demonstrate his support for the industry.
As Prime Minister, he has acknowledged that climate change is a "factor" in the current bushfire crisis, and insists Australia is cutting emissions in line with its targets, and "playing its part" in the global challenge (emphasis on "global").
The pressure is on over climate
That message, according to many of his colleagues, is either not cutting through or not well understood, and they lay at least part of the blame at the feet of the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor."I think the biggest problem we face is not so much our suite of policy measures, it's our credibility and sincerity and spokespeople," said one Liberal.
"Angus doesn't have the ability to sell a positive climate change message."
Another MP said Mr Taylor was "not the best person" to be selling the Government's policies, because he was seen (rightly or wrongly) as a "pro-coal climate change denier" who played a key role in the downfall of the Turnbull government's energy policy (which was designed to curb emissions).
The Minister has publicly denied being a climate change sceptic, and he has his defenders who believe the Rhodes Scholar is well credentialed to run the energy portfolio (his grandfather helped build the Snowy Hydro Scheme).
But he has also become a distraction for the Government and ended the year by inflicting enormous damage on himself, using doctored figures to attack the City of Sydney's commitment to tackling climate change.
So far, Mr Morrison has stood by Mr Taylor, refusing to give Labor a political "scalp" so early in his Prime Ministership.
But when the 112 Coalition MPs and Senators return to Parliament having spent Summer listening to their constituents' concerns, Mr Taylor will likely come under serious pressure from his colleagues to devise a more compelling Coalition strategy — if not policy — on climate.
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