CANBERRA (Australia) — Australia’s new government will place climate change at the forefront of its legislative agenda next month when Parliament meets for the first time since May 21st. The bills will enshrine a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and make electric vehicles more affordable, a minister stated Wednesday.
When Parliament meets on July 26, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said that a bill will be introduced to make Australia commit to reducing its carbon emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030.
Another bill would eliminate import tariffs and taxes on electric vehicles priced below the luxury car threshold at 77,565 Australian Dollars ($53,580).
According to the government, only 1.5% of Australian cars are either electric or plug-in hybrid. Passenger cars contribute almost 10% to Australia’s carbon emissions.
The Labor Party government, which is center-left, expects that EVs will account to 89% of new Australian car sales by 2030.
After three years, the government’s fleet of vehicles will be converted into 75% zero-emission vehicles. This will boost the second-hand EV market.
Officially, the new government informed the United Nations of Australia’s ambitious 2030 target that the Liberal Party-led administration pursued. This was a decrease of 26% to 28%.
Bowen however stated that legislating the 43% target will increase confidence.
Bowen stated, “It’s all about certainty and stability, primarily for the business investor community.”
“It signals that a parliament isn’t serious if it doesn’t legislate. Bowen said that a future government (or worse, a Liberal government) might take it back.
Peter Dutton, the Opposition leader, has ruled out the possibility of his Liberal Party senators achieving the Labor target through parliament’s upper chamber. Labor has 26 seats in the Senate, which is 76-seat. Therefore, it needs outside support to pass its legislative agenda.
Labor would have to convince all 12 senators of the minor Greens party that they support the target. The government would only have to convince one of the six remaining unaligned or independent legislators to vote for it.
Adam Bandt, Greens leader, has stated that he will press the government to ban any new coal mines or gas projects once the target legislation is in place. The Greens are committed to reducing Australia’s emissions by 75% by 2030.
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by 0.8% last year, or 4.1 Million metric tons (4.5 Million U.S. tonnes).
Bowen described the rise as one of the largest emissions spikes in fifteen years, and blamed the inaction of the previous government during its nine-year tenure.
