A major business lobby group and corporations including Tesla, Atlassian and Origin Energy have used parliamentary submissions to back Zali Steggall’s climate change legislation that includes a target of net zero by 2050 that can be ratcheted up in line with changing scientific evidence.
Steggall’s private members proposal is now before federal parliament’s multi-partisan environment committee for an inquiry. Hundreds of groups have made submissions endorsing the proposal either in full or with qualifications.
The legislation requires the government to set a rolling emissions budget and introduce risk assessment and adaptation plans, establish an independent climate change commission and incorporate the Morrison government’s technology investment roadmap.
The concept is modelled on existing legislation in Britain, New Zealand and Ireland.
The Ai Group has told the parliamentary committee there are other ways to achieve the objectives of the bill, “however if the parliament passed the bills in roughly their current form, they would be a substantial, workable and constructive improvement in Australia’s framework for climate change”.
While the business group outlines possible amendments to Steggall’s proposal, it also notes the model in the bill “of an independent advisory body separate from existing departments, with a bipartisan approach to appointments and the combination of continued ministerial responsibility for ultimate decision making with an obligation to respond to advice, is a reasonable approach”.
“It is similar to the highly successful model of the United Kingdom, which has been influential and consistent through several political cycles,” the submission says.
Origin Energy says Stegall’s bill contains “a number of useful and prudent proposals which could be incorporated into Australian policy design in the future”.
It says an independent institution could help “depoliticise some elements of climate change policy and build public confidence in a more durable and long term framework”.
Origin notes that a net zero target for 2050 has widespread support in business, among state governments and in the community more generally, and the company says a clear long-term target would help alleviate investment uncertainty.
Tesla picks up that theme by noting it is “crucial that Australia has a minimum long-term emissions reduction target to provide guidance and certainty to investors” after “decades without stable energy policy”.
The company says it “strongly supports both a minimum target of net zero emissions by 2050, and the bill’s ratchet mechanism which allows the ambition to be subsequently increased in line with emerging climate science”.
Atlassian has told the parliamentary committee it is “proud” to support legislation that would “codify a clear policy target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 into law, backed by emissions budgets and associated emissions reduction plans”.
“This means that the bills would not only formally adopt a policy goal that is consistent with and endorsed by the Paris agreement, several state and territory governments, and many companies both in Australia and globally, but would support this through a clear policy framework,” the company says.
“The framework itself is also clearly defined and supported by principles that emphasise its science-based and risk-based approach, while ensuring continued emphasis on efficiency, effectiveness, fiscal responsibility and fairness.”
It says the proposal is a “practical, workable and important foundation for advancing Australian action on climate change, and we strongly encourage its passage”.
The legislation is supported by Steggall’s fellow crossbenchers Rebekah Sharkie, Helen Haines, Andrew Wilkie and the Greens.
It is unclear whether Labor will ultimately lend backing and the proposal is opposed by the Morrison government, making it highly unlikely the bill will be brought on for debate.
But the member for Warringah, who defeated Tony Abbott at the last federal election, partly on a climate change platform, has rallied substantial community support for the proposal.
More than 100 businesses and organisations, including the Australian Medical Association, the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia, multinational company Unilever and software developer Atlassian, have supported the bill in advertisements that call for the Coalition and Labor to address the threats posed by the pandemic and climate change concurrently.
While Scott Morrison’s language on a net zero emissions target has warmed up since Joe Biden was declared the winner of the American presidential contest, and while the prime minister is clearly preparing the ground for a shift, the government continues to say it will not sign up to a mid-century target unless it can explain the costs to the public.
Morrison had planned to flag the likelihood that Australia would meet its 2030 target without having to resort to controversial Kyoto-era carryover credits at a climate ambition summit last weekend, but Australia was not granted a speaking slot at an event reserved for significant new commitments.
Australia’s target for 2030 is a cut of 26%-28% on 2005 levels. The most recent emissions projections suggest Australia is likely to land at 22% below 2005 levels at the end of the decade.
