Barnaby Joyce, Nationals and Coalition flayed for Australia's lack of climate change policy by Labor and Independents on Q+A
ABC News
October 14 2021
The federal government has been excoriated on Q+A by Labor and cross bench MPs for not having a climate policy that gets the nation to net zero emissions by the year 2050.
Key points:
The government came under fire for taking too long to commit Australia to net zero by 2050
The National party was widely accused as being a major stumbling block on that issue
The Morrison government was labelled a "rabble" by Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus during a withering attack over a lack of action on climate change.
The panel, consisting of Mr Dreyfus, Independent MP Helen Haines, Liberal Senator for NSW Andrew Bragg, television director Craig Reucassel and Melbourne Demons President Kate Roffey, were asked by viewer Glenn Gibson why the federal government had left it so late to draft climate policy.
The question came ahead of the UN's climate change conference in Scotland, an event Prime Minister Scott Morrison has yet to commit to attending.
Senator Bragg defended the government, saying formulating a plan on climate change was difficult.
"The plan to get emissions down is a very complex agenda because you've got to decarbonise electricity, you have to decarbonise industry and transport and you also have to look to agriculture," he said.
"What you'll see over the next few weeks is an agenda to decarbonise those three things with a target to get to net zero in a particular year and I think it's important that as part of that agenda there is a clear checkpoint along the way in 2030."
Asked what that should be, Senator Bragg said: "Forty per cent. I think that is quite achievable [and] would be a reasonable target for us to show the rest of the world we are serious about getting to net zero."
Mr Dreyfus was not placated.
"This is a rabble of a government," he said.
"We have been waiting eight years for a government to have a proper policy on climate.
"We have had 21 polices, all of them abandoned and we're now waiting on the 22nd."
Mr Dreyfus then accused Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and the Nationals of holding the Coalition and Australia to ransom.
"We're waiting for Barnaby Joyce and the National Party to tell the government of Australia, which they're part of, what the policy's going to be," he said.
"Federal Cabinet met yesterday but no-one is prepared to talk about what was discussed or even maybe decided because we're waiting until the National Party meet on Sunday.
"I find this absurd.
"We had the pre-COP in Milan two weeks ago; Australia didn't say anything at the pre-COP because we didn't have a policy.
"This rabble of a government have not got a policy and they have let Australia down big time."
Q+A host Virginia Trioli reminded him that federal Labor have not been perfect on climate change policy either, with Member for Hunter Joel Fitzgibbon at odds with his party on several climate policies.
Mr Dreyfus blamed the Abbott government for "wrecking" Labor's past climate policies.
Independent member for Indi, Helen Haines, also went on the attack against the National party.
"Fundamentally, the government have not had a plan," Ms Haines said.
"There's a closed door secret deal being done at the moment with the National Party and the Liberal Party.
"I represent an electorate in rural and regional Australia and let me tell you, farming communities, regional communities are so far in front of the National Party [and] the Liberal Party.
"The National Farmers' Federation committed to zero net emissions by 2050 years ago.
"The meat and livestock association have committed to carbon neutrality by 2030.
"We have the dairy farmers in my electorate sending me their plan for climate action.
"Every large renewable project is in the regions, but are the profits coming back to the regions?
"No. Because there hasn't been a plan from the National Party, they're too busy looking backwards and looking for things that have happened years ago."