Latest news with #ClimateChangeAuthority
West Australian
3 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Anthony Albanese says action on climate targets ‘not ideological' but based on reality
Anthony Albanese says Labor was 'not being ideological' on its climate change target, but being 'real' on the need for immediate and long-term strategies to tackle climate change. The Prime Minister made the comments while visiting drought affected farming communities in Fischer, about 96km from Adelaide, where he was asked about the impact of climate change and how he plans on achieving bipartisan support on Labor's net zero targets. While former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison initially committed Australia to reaching net zero by 2050, the topic has become a point of political argy-bargy, with some members of the Coalition calling on the party to abandon the promise. However, Mr Albanese said science had shown that extreme weather events were becoming more common, and said climate wars were 'pretty pointless'. 'Getting in a debate about whether, you know, any specific event is because of climate change is, in my view, a cul-de-sac that leads you back to the same place,' he said alongside SA Premier Peter Malinauskas and Agriculture Minister Julie Collins. 'The place is that climate change is real and we need to respond to it.' He said government had a 'responsibility' to tackle both the immediate and long term issues related to climate change, and that the response was not political. 'We're not being ideological about this, we're being real about this … the farmers that I meet know there's something going on with the weather,' he said. 'That's why we engaged in the lead up to setting those emissions targets that were going forward.' Labor has so far committed to reaching net zero by 2050, while also reducing emissions by 43 per cent by 2030. The government has also been under pressure to release the 2035 target, however it is waiting on further consultation with the Climate Change Authority, headed by former NSW Liberal minister Matt Kean. Speaking on Sunday, Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said he believed Australia was 'by and large on track' to meet the 43 per cent 2030 emission reduction targets, despite figures released on Friday revealing that emissions had increased year-on-year by 0.05 per cent. On Monday, Mr Albanese also announced that the 2025 National Drought Forum will be held in nearby town of Gawler, with the state experiencing some of the driest conditions on record. Mr Albanese also committed an extra $2m to the Rural Financial Counselling Service, on top of the $36m in previous funding for the Future Drought Fund Communities Program to bolster social resilience among agriculture-dependent communities. The funding pledge has been welcomed by the National Farmers Federation president David Jochinke who said farmers were facing conditions which 'have to be seen to be believed'. 'Things are really tough right now in large parts of South Australia and Victoria, as well as areas in Tasmania, NSW and Western Australia,' he said. 'We're not just talking about dry paddocks and low rainfall. For some regions, there's been multiple bad seasons and entire communities are under pressure. 'We thank Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister Julie Collins for showing up and listening. We hope the visit will help them see the urgency of the situation and the need for action.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Winds of change: govt urged to seize energy mandate
Large solar and wind power projects should be approved faster and nuclear options taken off the table following Labor's comprehensive federal election win, energy experts have told a conference. But international investors could still face substantial hurdles to putting up money for renewable projects in Australia, they warned, and the rush to install discounted household batteries was likely to prove challenging. Experts, including Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean and Windlab chief executive John Martin, made the comments at The Energy's policy panel on Monday. They all urged the incoming Labor government to use the election result as a signal to accelerate the renewable energy transition. The stark contrast between policies from the major parties represented a "fork in the road" for the nation's future, Mr Kean said. "The government has a mandate to get on with this energy transition," he said. The coalition had committed to developing seven nuclear power plants if elected, while Labor planned to expand renewable projects and launched a $2.3 billion policy to cut the price of household solar batteries. Mr Kean, a former Liberal NSW energy minister, said opposition parties should listen to voters and remove nuclear energy from their plans. "It was clear that nuclear was always too slow, too costly and too emissions-heavy," he said. Speeding up the delivery of renewable energy projects should take precedence for the Labor government in its second term, Mr Martin told participants, with urgent action to "unplug the pipeline" of proposed projects. No wind developments were approved in 2023, he said, and while the process had sped up in subsequent years, it needed to be more efficient to meet Australia's 2050 net-zero target. "We really need to be approving gigawatts a year and that's the target the government should be setting itself on all approvals," Mr Martin said. Most Australian consumers would also embrace renewable energy, consultant Gabrielle Kuiper said, although she warned that the industry would need to "scale up" to meet the demand for discounted household batteries. "It will be inevitable that there will be a battery rush," she said. "What is important is that there are a number of complementary measures that are taken to support this rebate." Additional policies could address the adoption of electric vehicles, their use as batteries to power households and the grid, and greater investments in public and active transport, she said.
The Advertiser
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Winds of change: govt urged to seize energy mandate
Large solar and wind power projects should be approved faster and nuclear options taken off the table following Labor's comprehensive federal election win, energy experts have told a conference. But international investors could still face substantial hurdles to putting up money for renewable projects in Australia, they warned, and the rush to install discounted household batteries was likely to prove challenging. Experts, including Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean and Windlab chief executive John Martin, made the comments at The Energy's policy panel on Monday. They all urged the incoming Labor government to use the election result as a signal to accelerate the renewable energy transition. The stark contrast between policies from the major parties represented a "fork in the road" for the nation's future, Mr Kean said. "The government has a mandate to get on with this energy transition," he said. The coalition had committed to developing seven nuclear power plants if elected, while Labor planned to expand renewable projects and launched a $2.3 billion policy to cut the price of household solar batteries. Mr Kean, a former Liberal NSW energy minister, said opposition parties should listen to voters and remove nuclear energy from their plans. "It was clear that nuclear was always too slow, too costly and too emissions-heavy," he said. Speeding up the delivery of renewable energy projects should take precedence for the Labor government in its second term, Mr Martin told participants, with urgent action to "unplug the pipeline" of proposed projects. No wind developments were approved in 2023, he said, and while the process had sped up in subsequent years, it needed to be more efficient to meet Australia's 2050 net-zero target. "We really need to be approving gigawatts a year and that's the target the government should be setting itself on all approvals," Mr Martin said. Most Australian consumers would also embrace renewable energy, consultant Gabrielle Kuiper said, although she warned that the industry would need to "scale up" to meet the demand for discounted household batteries. "It will be inevitable that there will be a battery rush," she said. "What is important is that there are a number of complementary measures that are taken to support this rebate." Additional policies could address the adoption of electric vehicles, their use as batteries to power households and the grid, and greater investments in public and active transport, she said. Large solar and wind power projects should be approved faster and nuclear options taken off the table following Labor's comprehensive federal election win, energy experts have told a conference. But international investors could still face substantial hurdles to putting up money for renewable projects in Australia, they warned, and the rush to install discounted household batteries was likely to prove challenging. Experts, including Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean and Windlab chief executive John Martin, made the comments at The Energy's policy panel on Monday. They all urged the incoming Labor government to use the election result as a signal to accelerate the renewable energy transition. The stark contrast between policies from the major parties represented a "fork in the road" for the nation's future, Mr Kean said. "The government has a mandate to get on with this energy transition," he said. The coalition had committed to developing seven nuclear power plants if elected, while Labor planned to expand renewable projects and launched a $2.3 billion policy to cut the price of household solar batteries. Mr Kean, a former Liberal NSW energy minister, said opposition parties should listen to voters and remove nuclear energy from their plans. "It was clear that nuclear was always too slow, too costly and too emissions-heavy," he said. Speeding up the delivery of renewable energy projects should take precedence for the Labor government in its second term, Mr Martin told participants, with urgent action to "unplug the pipeline" of proposed projects. No wind developments were approved in 2023, he said, and while the process had sped up in subsequent years, it needed to be more efficient to meet Australia's 2050 net-zero target. "We really need to be approving gigawatts a year and that's the target the government should be setting itself on all approvals," Mr Martin said. Most Australian consumers would also embrace renewable energy, consultant Gabrielle Kuiper said, although she warned that the industry would need to "scale up" to meet the demand for discounted household batteries. "It will be inevitable that there will be a battery rush," she said. "What is important is that there are a number of complementary measures that are taken to support this rebate." Additional policies could address the adoption of electric vehicles, their use as batteries to power households and the grid, and greater investments in public and active transport, she said. Large solar and wind power projects should be approved faster and nuclear options taken off the table following Labor's comprehensive federal election win, energy experts have told a conference. But international investors could still face substantial hurdles to putting up money for renewable projects in Australia, they warned, and the rush to install discounted household batteries was likely to prove challenging. Experts, including Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean and Windlab chief executive John Martin, made the comments at The Energy's policy panel on Monday. They all urged the incoming Labor government to use the election result as a signal to accelerate the renewable energy transition. The stark contrast between policies from the major parties represented a "fork in the road" for the nation's future, Mr Kean said. "The government has a mandate to get on with this energy transition," he said. The coalition had committed to developing seven nuclear power plants if elected, while Labor planned to expand renewable projects and launched a $2.3 billion policy to cut the price of household solar batteries. Mr Kean, a former Liberal NSW energy minister, said opposition parties should listen to voters and remove nuclear energy from their plans. "It was clear that nuclear was always too slow, too costly and too emissions-heavy," he said. Speeding up the delivery of renewable energy projects should take precedence for the Labor government in its second term, Mr Martin told participants, with urgent action to "unplug the pipeline" of proposed projects. No wind developments were approved in 2023, he said, and while the process had sped up in subsequent years, it needed to be more efficient to meet Australia's 2050 net-zero target. "We really need to be approving gigawatts a year and that's the target the government should be setting itself on all approvals," Mr Martin said. Most Australian consumers would also embrace renewable energy, consultant Gabrielle Kuiper said, although she warned that the industry would need to "scale up" to meet the demand for discounted household batteries. "It will be inevitable that there will be a battery rush," she said. "What is important is that there are a number of complementary measures that are taken to support this rebate." Additional policies could address the adoption of electric vehicles, their use as batteries to power households and the grid, and greater investments in public and active transport, she said. Large solar and wind power projects should be approved faster and nuclear options taken off the table following Labor's comprehensive federal election win, energy experts have told a conference. But international investors could still face substantial hurdles to putting up money for renewable projects in Australia, they warned, and the rush to install discounted household batteries was likely to prove challenging. Experts, including Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean and Windlab chief executive John Martin, made the comments at The Energy's policy panel on Monday. They all urged the incoming Labor government to use the election result as a signal to accelerate the renewable energy transition. The stark contrast between policies from the major parties represented a "fork in the road" for the nation's future, Mr Kean said. "The government has a mandate to get on with this energy transition," he said. The coalition had committed to developing seven nuclear power plants if elected, while Labor planned to expand renewable projects and launched a $2.3 billion policy to cut the price of household solar batteries. Mr Kean, a former Liberal NSW energy minister, said opposition parties should listen to voters and remove nuclear energy from their plans. "It was clear that nuclear was always too slow, too costly and too emissions-heavy," he said. Speeding up the delivery of renewable energy projects should take precedence for the Labor government in its second term, Mr Martin told participants, with urgent action to "unplug the pipeline" of proposed projects. No wind developments were approved in 2023, he said, and while the process had sped up in subsequent years, it needed to be more efficient to meet Australia's 2050 net-zero target. "We really need to be approving gigawatts a year and that's the target the government should be setting itself on all approvals," Mr Martin said. Most Australian consumers would also embrace renewable energy, consultant Gabrielle Kuiper said, although she warned that the industry would need to "scale up" to meet the demand for discounted household batteries. "It will be inevitable that there will be a battery rush," she said. "What is important is that there are a number of complementary measures that are taken to support this rebate." Additional policies could address the adoption of electric vehicles, their use as batteries to power households and the grid, and greater investments in public and active transport, she said.
Sky News AU
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Albanese government's weighs 75 per cent reduction in emissions as 2035 climate target still months away
The Albanese government is not expected to announce Australia's 2035 climate target until closer to September, Sky News can reveal. The new climate target could be put as high as a 75 per cent emissions reduction by 2035 from 2005 levels as internal deliberations and departmental advice continue. Sources have told Sky News that a 65 per cent cut is currently more likely, in line with the 65-75 range floated by the Climate Change Authority in a public consultation paper. So far, the government's intermediate 2035 target has not been set as Mr Albanese awaits advice from the independent Climate Change Authority. The government's current target, taken to the 2022 election, commits to a 43 per cent reduction by 2030. Industry Minister Tim Ayres told Sky News Sunday Agenda that the government was still waiting for the Climate Change Authority advice. "When the government receives that advice, we'll engage the cabinet processes to deliver the best outcome," he said. Mr Ayres said the government would pursue "low cost, reliable renewables" in order to achieve the climate target. The decision will come after internal pressure from Labor's Environment Action Network (LEAN), which demanded the government adopt a 70 per cent cut by 2035. Labor MP Jerome Laxale, endorsed by LEAN, recently told Sky News he wanted to see targets 'as strong as possible'. 'We've done an enormous amount in three years, got renewable energy up to 40 per cent of the grid... There's more in the pipeline... and we need to make it work.' Energy experts and the opposition have warned that pushing the country toward such deep emissions cuts without sufficient baseload power could threaten energy security. The debate intensified following catastrophic blackouts across Spain, Portugal, and France, which left more than 55 million people without power. 'Just like Spain, we're playing a game of Jenga with our electricity grid,' Zoe Hilton, Senior Policy Analyst at the Centre for Independent Studies told Sky News recently. 'Replacing a dispatchable generator with intermittent renewables is like taking a block out of the Jenga tower—you can only take so many before the whole thing is vulnerable to collapse.' Ms Hilton explained that as Spain phased out coal and nuclear power in favour of wind and solar the grid lost the inertia, making it vulnerable to collapse. The warnings have been echoed by Scott Hargreaves, Executive Director at the Institute of Public Affairs, who said the Spanish crisis should be a wake-up call for policymakers. 'The lesson for Australia is simple — the Spanish blackouts are the new normal under net zero,' he told Sky News. 'We have been testing Australia's electricity market to the point of destruction for over a decade. 'Well-informed observers increasingly agree that physical system failure is now looming.'
Scoop
05-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Unlocking Climate Capital: Investor Policy Priorities For The 48th Parliament's First 100 Days
Press Release – Investor Group on Climate Change The Investor Group on Climate Change will be engaging with policy-makers across the new parliament to provide more detail on these recommendations and how they will support jobs, economic growth, and reduce the economic costs of climate change. Australia's investment sector looks forward to working with Australia's new parliament on the policies that will keep building momentum towards a climate-resilient net-zero emissions economy. Quote from CEO Rebecca Mikula-Wright 'Economic damages from growing extreme climate events remain the biggest risk to super funds and other investors being able to deliver sustainable returns for their 15 million Australian members. 'Australia has all the resources we need to create new jobs and prosperity based on our abundant renewable energy resources, our clean industries, and our adaptation know-how. 'As new and continuing MPs and senators return to Canberra in the coming months, investors will be very keen to resume and accelerate the progress Australia is making towards a net zero, climate resilient economy.' Priorities To support an orderly and least-cost transition, IGCC recommends the following actions for the 48th Parliament within its first 100 days: Commit to a strong 2035 emission reduction target Setting a target within the range advised by the Climate Change Authority will help investors get the confidence they need to invest in new renewable energy and other climate solutions in Australia. Release comprehensive and just sector-by-sector plans, emissions reductions plans, and the new National Climate Risk Assessment and National Adaptation Plan. With clear sector and adaptation plans and a suite of stable policies to manage climate risks and promote climate solutions, investors will have greater confidence to deploy capital in Australia and not in other markets. Amend the Climate Change Act to include Net Zero Sector Plans, the National Adaptation Plan, and the National Climate Risk Assessment. This would provide durable national frameworks for decarbonisation, adaptation and climate risk, supporting the policy continuity across governments that builds market confidence, and encourages capital deployment into Australian mitigation and adaptation from local and international investors. The Investor Group on Climate Change will be engaging with policy-makers across the new parliament to provide more detail on these recommendations and how they will support jobs, economic growth, and reduce the economic costs of climate change. About the Investor Group on Climate Change: We are a leading network for Australian and New Zealand investors to understand and respond to the risks and opportunities of climate change. Our members include our countries' largest superannuation and retail funds, specialist investors and advisory groups. Their beneficiaries include more than 14.8 million Australians, and millions more New Zealanders. Our members manage more than $35 trillion globally. We are a not-for-profit and our work is funded by members' fees and philanthropy from supporters who understand the power of capital to support climate action.
