An Australian upper house Senate inquiry into the conservative Liberal-National government’s proposed Direct Action climate plan has called on the scheme to be ditched.
The Senate panel concluded it would be more expensive and less effective at cutting emissions than the current carbon price laws introduced in 2012 by the then Labor government.
AAP Newsagency reports the Labor and Australian Greens Party dominated committee has put pressure on the party’s leadership to boost its greenhouse gas emissions targets.
It has backed making much deeper cuts in line with the recommendations of the independent Climate Change Authority.
The six-member Senate committee recommended the government ”immediately adopt” minimum cuts of 19 per cent of 2000 levels by 2020.
Both the coalition government and Labor are committed to only a minimum five per cent cut by 2020.
The committee, which heard damning testimony of the policy from economists Professor Ross Garnaut and Bernie Fraser, found there was little evidence Direct Action would reduce emissions in any meaningful way, or even meet Australia’s five per cent emissions reduction target.
The inquiry recommended an emissions reduction target in line with that of the Climate Change Authority of 15 per cent, which would effectively be a 19 per cent target once extra emissions credits accrued under the Kyoto Protocol were carried over.
AAP reports opposition climate change spokesman Mark Butler refused to back the new target on ABC radio this morning, suggesting the effective 19 per cent target was not official ALP policy.
Australian Greens leader Senator Christine Milne said Direct Action was a “high-cost, narrow, government controlled scheme” and would not meet Australia’s five per cent emissions target.
“Should the parliament repeal the carbon price and replace it with the Direct Action slogan, Australia will be dismantling infrastructure that will have to be reconstructed again in a very short time period,” she said.
“There would be a significant cost to Australia in lost time, money, innovation and competitive advantage.”
Environment Minister Greg Hunt called the report a “whitewash” and said the government would reach the target.
“This was written by Labor and Greens senators, of course they’re going to be running a whitewash of their own policy,” Mr Hunt told ABC Radio today.
“We’ll achieve our targets,” Mr Hunt insisted.
Direct action offers financial incentives to businesses that cut their greenhouse gas emissions at lowest cost.
The government is due to hand down its white paper on the policy next month.
