Greens open to backing Labor’s 43% emissions target but demand ban on new coal projects

The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has signalled his party is open to backing the government’s 43% emissions reduction target, but says there are “problems” with the bill as he digs in on his demand that new coal and gas projects be banned.

The Liberal party appeared set to vote against Labor’s emissions target, with the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, raising concerns about enshrining the reduction in legislation. This would mean the Greens are now crucial to the success of the bill.

“We’re up for talking. We’re up for moving. We’re up for shifting,” Bandt told the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.

“It’s going to take two to tango to get legislation through the parliament and so we want to have some good-faith discussions with the government.”

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, last month formally updated Australia’s nationally determined contribution under the UN framework convention on climate change to a 43% reduction on 2005 levels by 2030. The government had committed to legislating the same climate target as one of its first acts when parliament resumes later this month, but says it does not need the bill to pass in order to carry out its clean energy and emissions reduction plan.

The government would need the support of either the Coalition or the Greens to pass the emissions legislation in the Senate. The Greens want far higher reductions, up to 75%, citing climate scientists who said Labor’s 43% target was not compatible with keeping global heating below 1.5C. Albanese has said his target is not up for debate.

Bandt said it was “too early to say” whether his party would back the bill, but that he was up for negotiating.

“Our approach is to say to government, ‘it’s good that we’re finally taking action on climate but we need to do better’,” he said.

Bandt said he was concerned the legislation, a draft version of which was shown to the crossbench and subsequently leaked to media this week, would create a ceiling on emissions reduction.

“It doesn’t contain any provisions that will stop coal and gas and also it’s in many respects, as some commentators have said, it doesn’t actually compel the government to do anything,” he said.

Bandt signalled that phasing out a reliance on coal and gas would be among his key requests in any negotiations, criticising plans for the Scarborough gas project in Western Australia and the Beetaloo basin in the Northern Territory.

“You don’t put the fire out while you’re pouring petrol on it,” he said. “This is why they are linked. If we’re negotiating climate legislation, then this government, now they’re in power, has to grapple with the question of are they going to open up more coal and gas projects that could blow [the] 43% [target] out of the water. Just one of those projects could do that.”

Albanese in May flatly rejected any prospect of negotiating the emissions target with the Greens, and has since challenged the Greens to support the plan or oppose it, but last week said the government would consider “sensible amendments” that may be proposed.

Bandt said his “strongly preferred approach is to improve and pass” the legislation but did not rule out opposing it.

“If the government says it’s our way or the highway, then we’re going to have to respond to that,” he said.

Dutton, appearing on Sky News on Sunday morning, accused the government of a “political stunt” in trying to legislate the target. He raised concerns about the effect of legislating a firm emissions reduction goal and confirmed his party would not support it.

“If our trading partners – or an ally like the United States or others in Europe – decided to adjust their emissions; if Europe went into a broader war and there was a severe economic downturn, would the government want to have a legislated 43%?” Dutton said.

“Or would they want to adjust and deal with the reality of the times? So, this is window-dressing and, frankly, as I say, a wedge for the Labor party. It’s a political stunt and I’ve been clear in relation to our position, and that is that we don’t support the legislation.”

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The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, rubbished Dutton’s suggestion.

“Legislating the target is international best practice. It’s the best way to give our businesses and our investors and the broader community certainty over that target,” he told Sky.

On Sunday, the Victorian Liberal leader, Matthew Guy, announced his party would legislate a 50% emissions reduction target if it won the upcoming state election. The state Labor government has committed to the same number as its emissions goal, but has not legislated the target.