The opposition leader has been forced to backtrack on Australia’s emissions targets after saying the coalition did not believe in setting concrete climate goals.
The Albanese government unveiled its 2035 climate target on Thursday, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 62 and 70 per cent compared to 2005 levels.
The target was accompanied by billions of dollars in policy announcements as officials outlined plans for the energy, industry and transport sectors to do the heavy lifting.
Ms Ley corrected herself shortly after fronting the media on Friday, when she initially said the coalition “don’t believe in setting targets at all, from opposition or from government”.
She later clarified that the coalition did not support setting targets in opposition but it was not against targets as a whole.
“We do, of course, recognise the importance of targets in government when we have the full information in front of us, which we don’t have,” Ms Ley said.
Australia first committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 under the coalition government led by Scott Morrison in 2021.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched into the opposition leader’s “bizarre statements”, adding the coalition changed its policies “from hour to hour”.
“It says it all – if the opposition aren’t clear from minute to minute, let alone in any considered way,” he said.
The Liberals, who have been riven by internal division over maintaining the net-zero commitment, have criticised the 2035 emissions target as “built on fantasy” with no detail about the cost or impact of the plan.
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said Australia was punching above its weight in its bid to reduce the impact of climate change, but further efforts were required beyond the 2035 target.
“There’s no doubt there’s more to do,” he said.
“We are right up there with the most ambitious countries in the world, as we should be, as we need to be, but also, (the target) has to be achievable.”
As part of the measures, $5 billion will be set aside from an existing industry fund to cut emissions in hard-to-abate heavy industry.
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation has also been granted a $2 billion top-up to grease the wheels of the renewables transition.
As much as $40 million has been set aside to install more kerbside chargers to power electric vehicles, with funding also earmarked to help households and businesses cut energy use.
The 2035 target provoked a range of reactions, with environmental groups hoping for more ambition and the business sector warning even the lower end of the range would be challenging.
The Superpower Institute, which has long framed decarbonisation and clean export industries as a major economic opportunity for Australia, warned the nation would struggle to hit the top of its 2035 range under existing policy settings.
The contribution to global emissions cuts landed days after a diabolical report on Australia’s expected climate impacts, including a warning that 1.5 million people could be exposed to coastal hazards from rising seas by 2050.