Greens give crucial support to Labor’s climate bill for 43% emissions reduction by 2030.

Extract from The Guardian

Australian politics

Adam Bandt says party will back the legislation but signals a further fight on new fossil fuel projects.

Greens will vote in favour of Labor’s climate bill, Adam Bandt says – video

Paul Karp

@Paul_Karp

Wed 3 Aug 2022 14.07 AEST

Last modified on Wed 3 Aug 2022 14.52 AEST

Adam Bandt has revealed the Greens will support Labor’s climate bill but signalled a further fight for a climate trigger to block new fossil fuel projects.

The bill for a 43% emissions reduction by 2030 is now set to pass parliament, with the Greens’ support in the lower house and its crucial 12 Senate votes.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he was now “very confident” the bill would pass, and heaped pressure on the Coalition “to break with their rhetoric and actually come to the table” and approve the target for investment certainty.

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At the National Press Club on Wednesday Bandt cited improvements negotiated by the Greens including: that the target can be ratcheted up over time; the target has been “Dutton-proofed”, meaning it can’t go backwards; more accountability for the Climate Change Authority; and that government agencies will have to consider climate targets before funding new projects.

But Bandt said the government is “bringing a bucket of water to a house fire” and the target “could be wiped out by just one of the 114 new coal and gas projects in the government’s investment pipeline”.

“The fight begins now to get Labor to stop opening coal and gas mines.”

Bandt vowed to “comb the entire budget for any public money … going to coal and gas corporations and amend the budget to remove them”.

“We will push to ensure the safeguard mechanism … [stops] new coal and gas projects. We will push for a climate trigger in our environment laws.”

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Albanese told reporters in Canberra that Labor had agreed to amendments that were “consistent with the policy we took to the election”, but had not committed to the Greens to consider a climate trigger.

Albanese also ruled out using the safeguards mechanism to block new fossil fuel projects.

The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, said it was “a good day for Australia”.

“A good day therefore the economy, a good day for the future,” he said. “The climate wars may not be over, but they are suddenly in retreat, under this government.”