2035 Climate Target Branded Political Stunt for UN Recognition

Sussan Ley has gone on the attack over Labor’s 2035 emissions reduction target, calling the government’s modelling a “cruel hoax” and accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of trying to “feel important at the UN.”

On Thursday, Albanese pledged to cut Australia’s carbon emissions by 62 to 70 per cent below 2005 levels within a decade, but the target has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. Some argue it falls short of the widely demanded 75 per cent cut, while others question the economic modelling and what it might cost taxpayers.

Ley, who admitted she doesn’t yet have a full energy policy, promised that when she does, it will “deliver a stable, reliable energy grid that provides affordable energy to households and businesses, while still playing Australia’s role internationally in reducing emissions.”

“That’s what an energy policy looks like,” she said in Adelaide. “The modelling so far has been a cruel hoax for every single Australian.”

She slammed the government’s assumptions, which rely on Australia meeting its legislated 2030 emissions reduction target of 43 per cent — a goal she said “not an expert in Australia” actually expects to be fully met. (Forecasts suggest the country will fall just 0.4 per cent short, which most experts see as negligible.)

Ley also hinted at her party’s future plans, pointing to a working group exploring “the latest in nuclear technology” in the US. She said the Coalition needs to avoid Labor’s approach: setting targets to impress internationally while leaving businesses struggling to operate, grow, and export.

Before Ley can roll out a full energy policy, however, she faces the tough task of uniting the deeply divided Coalition. Tensions over net zero by 2050 are high, with Andrew Hastie reportedly threatening to quit the opposition frontbench if the policy isn’t abandoned, while many Nationals, led by Barnaby Joyce, are pushing for the target to be scrapped nationally.

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