Prime Minister – Opinion: Taking action on climate change while keeping jobs

·

Opinion piece by Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.

Australians want action on climate change. And so do I.

But they also don’t want their electricity bills to skyrocket, the lights to go off, for their jobs to be put at risk or for the way of life in rural and regional communities to be sacrificed.

Australians want a 2050 plan on net zero emissions that does the right thing on climate change and secures their future in a changing world. They also want a plan that is fair and practical.

People in rural and regional areas know the impacts of climate change far better than those of us living in the cities. But the burden of taking action on climate change should not fall unfairly on rural and regional Australians, especially those dependent on traditional industries such as mining and agriculture.

Only the Liberals and the Nationals working together can be trusted to get this balance right.

We understand the threats faced but also the opportunities that can be realised.

There have been few issues more challenging for the Liberals and Nationals during the past twenty years than addressing climate change and its impact on rural and regional communities.

The Liberals and Nationals have agreed to net zero emissions by 2050.

Our decision to now agree to a plan to achieve the target of net zero emissions by 2050 has not been taken lightly.

We didn’t just agree to this without carefully thinking through all the consequences and impacts, especially in rural and regional areas.

We have not and would never make a blank cheque commitment or impose new taxes, as Labor has, to achieve net zero. That would leave Australians footing the bill.

Decisions overseas are bringing about major changes in the global economy that will impact on Australia’s future prospects, both positively and negatively.

As Prime Minister I am determined to shield our nation from the negative impact of these changes while positioning us to take advantage of the many opportunities presented, especially for rural and regional Australia.

At Glasgow I will confirm that Australia will continue to play our part. We will be making a commitment to achieve net zero by 2050, and have a clear plan for achieving it. I always said I would not commit to net zero by 2050 unless we had a plan to achieve it. We now have that plan.

We will do this through technology, not taxes. By respecting people’s choices and not enforcing mandates on what people can do and buy. By keeping our industries and regions running and household power bills down by ensuring energy is affordable and reliable. By being transparent about what we are achieving, and expecting the same of other countries.

Scott Morrison.

And we will invest in rural and regional Australia to ensure they succeed and are protected under our plan.

I will remind the world that emissions in Australia have actually fallen by more than 20 per cent on 2005 levels. That is more than New Zealand, Canada, Japan and the United States.  We have beaten our 2020 emissions reduction target and are well on our way to meet and beat our 2030 target.

We won’t be lectured by others who do not understand Australia. The Australian Way is all about how you do it, and not if you do it. It’s about getting it done.

We will also not be breaking the pledge we made at the last election by changing our 2030 emission reductions targets. I said we would meet and beat this target and we will. So at Glasgow I will update what we now believe we will achieve, demonstrating that performance is worth more than empty ambition. That’s the Australian way.

The path to net zero is also not a straight line. In fact, as Bill Gates argues, forcing outcomes by 2030 with unrealistic targets can divert resources from technologies with longer lead times that will be essential to achieving 2050 objectives. So we will keep making sensible commitments and doing our best to exceed them.

Key to this approach is investment in new energy technologies, like hydrogen and low cost Solar, to ensure our manufacturing, resources, agricultural and transport sectors can secure their future, especially in rural and regional areas. 

These technologies are set out in our Technology Investment Roadmap.

Australia is looking into low cost solar energy.

We want our heavy industries, like mining, to stay open, remain competitive and adapt, so they remain viable for as long as global demand allows. Our plan is not about shutting anything down.

We will not support any mandate – domestic or international – to force closure of our resources or agricultural industries.

We have taken the time to deal with the hard issues that need to be confronted to get it right. We have listened carefully and understand both the concerns and the strong aspirations that Australians have when it comes to dealing with climate change.

At the end of the day it all comes down to whether you have a credible plan to get the job done. It’s no longer about the ‘if’, but the ‘how’, and Australians can always trust the Coalition to have the right economic plan to enable Australia to deal with the challenge of climate change.

Scott Morrison

Prime Minister

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Earlwood’s Greek spirit centre stage as ‘Plateia’ Festival secures state funding

The City of Canterbury Bankstown will host the “Love Earlwood” festival thanks to the NSW Government’s Open Streets 2025-28 Program.

Greek Consul General honoured at Hellenic Club farewell event in Sydney

Sydney’s Greek community came together on Thursday for a dignified farewell dinner in honour of Greece’s Consul General, Ioannis Mallikourtis

Field of candidates announced for 2025 Greek Community of Melbourne Board election

Greek Community of Melbourne has officially called elections for a new Board of Directors, with members set to head to the polls on June 29.

Australia Cup 2025: Strong Greek heritage club presence as Final 32 locked in

The cast for the Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Round of 32 has been decided following the completion of the Preliminary Rounds.

Apostolakis and Trimis named on Young Matildas squad for upcoming training camp

CommBank Young Matildas Head Coach Alex Epakis has settled on a 32-player squad for a domestic training camp to be held in Sydney.

You May Also Like

Greek Australian Celina Michael progresses to next round on The Voice Greece

21-year-old Sydney-born singer, Celina Michael, progressed to the battle rounds on The Voice Greece on Saturday night.

Mitsotakis welcomes EU energy proposals tackling energy crisis

The European Commission has proposed a set of emergency measures to tackle high energy prices affecting Europe since Russia cut gas flows.

Helena Paparizou to feature in special ‘Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light’ show

Helena Paparizou, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, will be giving a special performance at this year's Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light show.