COP26 wanted ambitious emissions targets, and Australia offers “the Australian way” of peddling more fossil fuels. Unbelievable. We are a joke. Australia was a COP-out in Glasgow. The agenda was about real ambition by 2030, and Australia brought nothing. Lazy and insincere?
A net-zero policy cobbled together by the Coalition after eight years of opposition was trotted out at Glasgow as our contribution, but it had nothing behind the slogan. Now the government has released its policy details, we can see it lacks credibility.
Hopes are pinned on the investment failure that is carbon capture and storage, and on technologies yet to be invented — Mr Morrison, that’s not a plan, it’s a misled aspiration. It lacks credibility. It’s no surprise though.
During the same week the Federal Government’s latest foray into an electric vehicle policy was revealed. There’s nothing there but a handful of roubles for the private market to build charging stations.
The Morrison Government has no commitment, yet the Australian public sees an EV future, and is offered net-zero support.
“I won’t be subsidising EV car companies,” says the PM. No, but you could subsidise Australians to get a start in an inevitable change in our transport industry, just like we subsidised survival during COVID-19.
Perhaps a model like the Rudd Government support that started the rooftop revolution is needed.
Australia continues to be unfairly shackled with a Federal Government that shows no leadership, and is ideologically out-of-touch with our low carbon future.
They won’t change their spots, but Australians can change the government — or wallow in yesteryear.
We know the transition challenges, but federal policy to support regional companies to embrace this change would not go astray.
Peter Lockyer
president, BEAM Mitchell Environment Group
16°C