Australia’s left-leaning Green Party says it will soften its calls for a proposed ban on fossil fuels, shake hands with the centre-left Labor government, and pass carbon credit reform to tackle climate change.
The so-called Safeguard Mechanism Reform (Credit) Amendment Bill, which the Labor government is about to pass in the Senate, requires Australia’s largest greenhouse gas emitter to keep its net emissions below emissions limits. By purchasing carbon credits, companies can “offset” emissions deemed to be in excess of government regulations.
Labor is at a crossroads with the Greens after the centre-right coalition said it would oppose the bill, and the Greens have argued that Labor will not allow all new coal or gas projects, regardless of economic or economic impact. Tried to block the bill unless promised to stop. Australian energy needs.
But Green Party leader Adam Band said his party would compromise their position if Labor offered “another way” to deal with the coal and gas problem.
“We have made it clear that this is an offer, not an ultimatum. And this is our offer: Stop making matters worse by opening new coal and gas now,” the band told Sky News on Sunday.
He put “climate triggers” in the country’s environmental law when evaluating new coal and gas projects, and said that while the government considered how to address the situation “in a holistic way,” it was “not approved.” I suggested to pause.
“I am delighted to see the proposals on the table on how to address this coal and gas problem,” he added.
“The ball is now on Ravers Court.”
“At the moment, what Labor is looking at is a policy that makes things worse because they are opening new coal and gas mines, and that is the issue at the moment.”
In its campaign promises, the Greens said they wanted to replace coal and gas with 100% renewable energy by 2030 and “immediately ban new coal, oil and gas projects.”
“I’m not here to tell the Greens how to vote,” Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen previously said.
“We have a relationship with the Green Party and are able to discuss issues within parameters. The parameters for discussing these issues are the electoral mandates we have sought and received.”
Shadow Energy Minister Ted O’Brien said Labor’s carbon tax mechanism, purported to save our modern way of life from climate change, would be a “failure for the new government to impose” when families were “crying for help.” It will overwhelm companies with the cost,” he warned. of a living mount.
“If businesses don’t collapse under the weight of Labor’s expensive energy policies, they are likely to pass the costs on to customers, including everyday Australian households,” he said in a January 11 media release.
He previously told Sky News on January 11 that under the law, companies must reduce their emissions by 5% annually, the highest demand of any government in the world.
“The name of the game should be decarbonisation, not strangling the Australian economy. And this is the start,” he said, referring to Labor’s carbon credit bill. “We are looking at the Albanian Labor government [doing is] They are leading the country on the wrong path towards decarbonisation. Every time I open my electricity bill, I see that the price has gone up. “
O’Brien also told Sydney’s 2GB radio that the policy was “the largest carbon tax Labor has introduced” and would cost three times as much as the carbon tax under former Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
The Gillard government set the carbon price at A$23 (US$15.31) per tonne, compared to $75 per tonne under the Albanian government.
O’Brien warned that under Albanian government policies, it could cost up to $100 per tonne of carbon emissions by 2030.
Despite a Labor Party election pledge to cut electricity prices by $275, Australian households continued to pay for gas after AGL and Origin Energy, two of Australia’s largest energy suppliers, announced new gas prices in January. Be prepared for double to triple digit price increases.
AGL increased gas prices for standing offer customers from 1 January and for customers on floating rate market contracts from 1 February, while Origin Energy’s gas price increases took effect from 1 February. rice field.