Scotty's Climate "Pivot" Undercut By His Own Party Calling For More New Coal Plants. Oops.
The Nationals are continuing to agitate for new investments in coal, cutting across Scott Morrison’s ongoing efforts to telegraph a significant pivot on climate policy. After the prime minister used a scene-setting speech at the National Press Club on Monday to declare he wanted Australia to get to net zero emissions “as soon as possible” and “preferably by 2050” – Morrison’s strongest formulation to date – Nationals in the Senate issued a joint statement declaring Australia needed to build “modern coal-fired power stations” to generate affordable, reliable energy.
The former resources minister and Queensland senator Matt Canavan, the deputy Senate leader of the Nationals, said the government needed to get behind a new plant in Collinsville. “A new high-efficiency, low-emission coal-fired plant at Collinsville would create new regional jobs and a reliable source of low-emission energy,” Canavan said in the joint statement. “This is what Australia needs right now.” The Nationals Senate leader and former sport minister, Bridget McKenzie, echoed that sentiment, saying “affordable, reliable power” including “modern coal fired power stations” would support job-creating industries in the regions. The New South Wales senator Perin Davey said: “Using our world’s-best and cleanest thermal coal to power Australian manufacturing makes sense, and that coal comes from the Hunter.”
The prime minister’s language about the Coalition adopting a target of net zero emissions by 2050 has warmed considerably since the election of Joe Biden to the White House and Morrison’s comments about the target on Monday, while qualified, were warmer again, giving heart to Liberals who believe the government needs to shift.
Given many Nationals will strongly resist a firm commitment on net zero, Morrison has been arguing the looming transition to low emissions will be driven by technology rather than policies that increase energy prices or “tax” heavy industry – a line that gets repeated as a point of contrast with the government’s political opponents even though no major party is advocating a carbon tax.
EDIT
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/03/nationals-coal-push-disrupts-scott-morrisons-climate-policy-pivot
