Australian Greens Leader Adam Bandt says his party will now support Labor’s Climate Change Bill 2022 in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Speaking at the National Press Club yesterday, Mr. Bandt said backing of the bill is now doable given changes that have been negotiated. The Greens notes those changes including “Dutton-proofing”, ensuring the 43 per cent emissions reduction target is a floor and not a ceiling and making it harder for the Government to fund coal and gas.
“The Greens have improved a weak climate bill and we will pass it, but the fight to stop Labor’s new coal and gas mines continues,” said Mr. Bandt. “In this Parliament, the only obstacle to stronger climate action is Labor.”
The Greens said there are still 114 new coal and gas projects in the pipeline.
“We’re in solidarity with First Nations communities, scientists, the global community our Pacific neighbours. You cannot put the fire out while pouring more fuel on it.”
Some of these proposed projects are already in the crosshairs of the Environment Council of Central Queensland (ECoCeQ), which last month urged Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reconsider 19 coal and gas proposals using a provision of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
The needling about coal and gas projects aside, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Climate Change Chris Bowen were rather chuffed with the turn of events for Labor’s bill.
“I am very confident that it will be passed through the House of Representatives and through the Senate,” said PM Albanese. “This is an opportunity to end the climate wars.”
Minister Bowen was a little more realistic on the climate wars bit, stating:
“The climate wars may or may not be over, but they are certainly in retreat under this Government.”
Documents and transcripts relating to Climate Change Bill 2022 can be found here and a related speech delivered by Prime Minister Albanese in Parliament yesterday, here.
Coalition To Oppose Bill, Spruiking Nuclear
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton had previously indicated he will oppose the climate bill (no surprises there), and the party has now fallen into line (again, no surprises). Mr. Dutton has also previously stated he’s not afraid to have a(nother) debate on nuclear energy, and on Tuesday took that one step further.
Mr. Dutton has initiated a formal internal process to examine the potential for advanced and next-generation nuclear technologies (e.g., Small Modular Reactors – SMR). The review will be led by Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, and SMR fan, Ted O’Brien.
“It is high time that Australia had an honest and informed debate on the benefits and costs of nuclear energy,” Mr. Dutton stated.
Perhaps he missed all the others; but this could save him and his brethren time that could be better spent on something, well, productive: nuclear energy is too expensive. He might also want to have a read what the CSIRO says about the cheapest new-build electricity generation options in Australia.
On a related note, the same CSIRO report mentions local SMR projects happening this decade are unlikely – even without the nuclear energy moratorium – given the technology’s commercial immaturity and high cost.
Mr. Dutton’s announcement of the launch of the internal review follows a pretty astounding question from him to Prime Minister Albanese earlier in the week in relation to electricity price rises.
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In what sense is the bill ‘Dutton proofed’? The Green-Labor bill establishes a radical target, though it’s not clear what penalties will exist for failing to achieve it, and curtails economic development by weaponising environmental approvals, financial hurdles, and economic hurdles. Again no clear details in the reporting just unreliable energy good, reliable energy bad.
Assuming Dutton is elected in 2025, what is to prevent the Coalition from either directly repealing said legislation, or amending it such that the target remains, but there is zero penalty for ignoring it ala the Obamacare model?
Michael Bloch,
Ted O’Brien said in his Press Release on 13 Dec 2019:
https://tedobrien.com.au/nuclear-energy-not-without-your-approval/
So-called ‘factory-built’ SMRs do not yet exist in physical form ANYWHERE, so the claims being made about SMR costs and benefits are entirely unsubstantiated.
In practice, support for nuclear power in Australia is support for coal.
https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/smr-nuclear-waste-mb2503/#comment-1469930
I’d suggest more inquiries/analyses into the suitability of civil nuclear power for Australia won’t change what is already known.
https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/smr-nuclear-waste-mb2503/#comment-1471596
Meanwhile, a major portion of the NEM’s fleet of coal-fired generator units will likely close within two decades. See my slides 24 through 28 in a pdf file (10.4 MB) at: https://www.ipcn.nsw.gov.au/resources/pac/media/files/pac/project-submissions/2022/05/mt-pleasant-optimisation-project-ssd-10418/20220708t144208/theclimateenergycrisis20220708.pdf
It seems to me Peter Dutton’s advocacy for nuclear power is increasing the risks for higher energy costs & grid instability, leading to potentially more events where the lights go out in Australia, and the chaos and suffering that will ensue for many Australians from that.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton stated:
https://www.peterdutton.com.au/leader-of-the-opposition-statement-nuclear-energy/
Perhaps Peter Dutton might take a closer look at how (un)reliable France’s huge nuclear power plant fleet is demonstrating it is presently, apparently causing bigger problems for EU power supplies than Russia’s withheld gas supply.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/frances-troubled-nuclear-fleet-a-bigger-problem-for-europe-than-russia-gas/
I’d suggest the Coalition’s so-called “national conversation about [the] potential of nuclear energy” is at best dishonest, and perhaps at worst even criminally negligent.
Meanwhile, yesterday (Aug 4), the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPIE) granted development consent for Greenspot’s proposed 500 MW / 1,000 MWh Wallerawang Battery Energy Storage System (SSD-14540514).
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/wallerawang-battery-energy-storage-system
https://reneweconomy.com.au/huge-1000mwh-battery-at-site-of-closed-coal-plant-gets-nsw-planning-approval/
One of Dutton’s major blunders or deliberate untruths, is that he fails to mention the time it takes to get a nuclear facility up and running. Nor has he addressed the problem of nuclear waste.
Like the Lord of Mendacity he has replaced, he lies like a cheap rug.