2m agoThu 18 Sep 2025 at 10:24pm

Focus should be on adaptation in Australia, David Littleproud says

David Littleproud says he believes in reducing emissions, but that Australia needs to look at the global context with other countries not following suit.

The Nationals leader says there should be a focus on adaptation to ensure homes are built to withstand floods and cyclones.

“The fact that we’re only 1 per cent of emissions means that if the rest of the world doesn’t, we’re not going to get there,” Littleproud says.

“Why wouldn’t we also have a very clear focus on adaptation in making sure that we’re protecting households, looking at things around strengthening their houses to floods, from floods and cyclones, but also building more storage for water?” he says.

Asked why he doesn’t have confidence in the Treasury modelling on the current target, Littleproud says the government made the scope too narrow.

“When we went to the last election, we showed that we’d have a grid of 38 per cent nuclear, 54 per cent renewables, and the balance would be gas and coal with carbon capture,” he says.

8m agoThu 18 Sep 2025 at 10:19pm

David Littleproud wants Chris Bowen to release cost of reaching 2035 target

Nationals Leader David Littleproud has also phoned into ABC Radio National Breakfast to share his views about the 2035 target.

Littleproud says he believes in climate change, but doesn’t agree with Labor’s approach to reducing emissions.

He says Australians need to know what plans the government ha to broaden the safeguards mechanism which tax businesses for polluting.

The Nationals leader says the government will place a carbon tariff on imports such as steel and aluminium to keep big businesses happy.

“So what they’ll do is they’ll pass that on when they send it here to Australia. So that means your costs are going to go up,” Littleproud says.

“So if Chris Bowen is so passionate about his plan, tell us the cost,” he says.

18m agoThu 18 Sep 2025 at 10:08pm

Climate change minister says target over 70 per cent is ‘unacceptable’

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen says a 2035 climate target higher than 70 would have “unacceptable” costs for Australia.

Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, Bowen says the transition to net zero needs to be “managed carefully and calibrated carefully”.

“A target higher than 70 would involve unacceptable environmental social and economic costs for our country,” Bowen says.

“I believe we’ve got the balance right. I believe it’s an achievable plan but an ambitious one,” he says.

Australia is looking to host COP31 next year, but it’s facing off against Turkey who also wants to host the event.

The climate change minister says he’s happy for Australia to be compared against Turkey who he says is operating “business as usual”.

“Turkey, our competitor, has not yet set their target, and their 2030 target is a reduction on business as usual as opposed to a reduction compared to 2005,” he says.

32m agoThu 18 Sep 2025 at 9:55pm

Chris Bowen responds to Vanuatu’s climate change minister’s comments

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has just phoned into ABC Radio National Breakfast where he’s been asked about Ralph Regenvanu’s criticism of Australia’s 2035 target.

If you missed it, Regenvanu says Australia should have set a 75 per cent 2035 target.

The climate change minister says that is not the view shared by other Pacific island ministers who he spoke with yesterday.

He says achieving the target by 2035 will require Australia to remove all of its transport emissions twice over the next decade.

“The Pacific island ministers I’ve spoken to have indicated to me they recognise how ambitious this is,” Bowen says.

“Over the last 24 hours, Europe’s been considering a 63 to 70 per cent cut … so, that shows that we are right up there with the most ambitious countries in the world, as we should be, as we need to be,” he says.

Bowen says those who have criticised the government’s target will never have to deliver a cut in emissions.

37m agoThu 18 Sep 2025 at 9:50pm

‘No doubt’ coal-fired power stations will be phased out by 2035: Bowen

The climate change minister says there’s “no doubt” coal-fired power stations will be phased out of Australia’s energy mix by 2035.

Chris Bowen says 20 out of Australia’s 24 coal-fired power stations closed under the former Coalition government.

“The Liberal and National Party does pretend that there can be new coal-fired power. There can’t be and won’t be,” Bowen says.

“The coal-fired power is ageing. The biggest threat [to] our reliability in the system is coal-fired stations outages,” he says.

42m agoThu 18 Sep 2025 at 9:45pm

Road user charge must not disincentivise uptake of electric vehicles, Bowen says

Chris Bowen says the move towards an electric vehicle road user charge over time must ensure the continued uptake of electric vehicles.

Federal, state and territory governments are weighing up introducing a road user charge as Australians purchase more electric vehicles.

The climate change minister says the introduction of any road user charge must not disincentivise the uptake of electric vehicles.

“I think everyone is on the same page that this is something which is going to have to happen in due course but [it] needs to be very carefully worked through to ensure … Australians get to take up EVs, not to disincentivise it, and I agree with that,” Bowen says.

47m agoThu 18 Sep 2025 at 9:40pm

Chris Bowen says 2035 target would require Australia to double emissions reduction

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has appeared on ABC News Breakfast to discuss the government 2035 emissions reduction target.

Bowen has been asked how many cars will need to be electric on Australian roads by 2035 to hit the government’s target.

The climate change minister says the target would require a doubling of Australia’s emissions reduction compared to the last decade.

“That’s equivalent of taking all of transport Australia’s emissions out twice over the next decade,” Bowen says.

He says there are new electric vehicle models and brands arriving in Australia each day, which is boosting choice for consumers.

“We’re already seeing lots of new models come in, models that are inexpensive, models that are expensive, models that are fancy, models that are basic because that’s a lot more choice for Australians,” he says.

52m agoThu 18 Sep 2025 at 9:35pm

Government should be focused on bringing down power prices: Jane Hume

Health Minister Mark Butler stepped up on his usual spot with Liberal senator Jane Hume on Channel Seven.

Butler has defended the government’s 2035 target and says it’s consistent with scientific advice and beneficial for the economy.

He says Australia needs a plan to transition away from fossil fuel energy production as coal-fired power stations reach the end of their life.

“The worst situation will be if there is no plan and, frankly, that is what Jane is having to fight in her party room right now; the idea that we just stick our head in the sand and not see any investment,” Butler says.

Asked if the Coalition believes in climate change, Jane Hume says it “absolutely” thinks Australia should bring down carbon emissions.

But she says the target announced by Labor yesterday will come at a cost to taxpayers.

She says the government’s National Climate Risk Assessment released earlier this week is “alarmist”.

“What the government should be focusing on right now is bringing energy prices down,” Hume says.

1h agoThu 18 Sep 2025 at 9:24pm

Labor’s 2035 target met with mixed reaction from agricultural sector

The federal government’s 2035 climate target has been met with mixed feelings across the board, including from the agricultural sector.

Sophie Nichols, a fourth-generation Singleton cattle farmer, says her family changed their farming practices after the last drought in the NSW Hunter Valley seven years ago, tripling their solar and installing batteries.

She says she would have preferred a target locked in at the higher end of the government’s 62-70 per cent range.

“The lower end really does put particularly farmers at risk of devastating climatic events,” Nichols says.

“I have Angus cattle here, the thought of having to put them through 42-degree days if we don’t address climate change now is very scary.”

Bronwyn Petrie is chair of the NSW Farmers’ Conservation and Resource Management Committee.

“I think it provides some certainty of what the government is looking for, however, the important thing here is not to yet again burden the agriculture sector,” she says.

She says farmers haven’t been compensated for billions of dollars in emissions-reduction activities they undertook to meet the nation’s Kyoto Protocol commitments.

“If it wasn’t for the farmers … Australia would have never met those targets.”

1h agoThu 18 Sep 2025 at 9:07pm

Vanuatu’s climate change minister says 2035 target range ‘worries’ him(AFP: Hilaire Bule)

Vanuatu’s climate change minister says Australia’s 2035 target falls short of what’s required to keep communities safe.

The federal government yesterday unveiled its long-awaited 2035 emissions reduction, vowing to cut its emissions by 62 to 70 per cent.

Ralph Regenvanu says the federal government should have set the bar at reducing emissions at 75 per cent on 2005 levels.

Regenvanu says the target range set by the government “worries” him because it gives Australia the option of going for the lowest number.

The climate change minister says Australia’s ambitions don’t go far enough and that any target needs to be legislated.

“There should be a very hard, lowest possible number, which should be 75. So that’s worrying because it provides that room for doing far less,” Regenvanu says.

“Australia is, it’s in terms of per capita cumulative emissions, it’s the third-highest contributor of emissions in the world. So it needs to do far more than just what we’re seeing here,” he says.

Regenvanu  took aim at the federal government’s decision to extend the life of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas plant.

“To approve new projects into the future, like what happened with Woodside just last week, that’s really bad faith to continue down that pathway when we all know there is a climate crisis upon us,” he says.

1h agoThu 18 Sep 2025 at 8:59pm

Good morning 👋

Hello and welcome from wherever you’re joining us this morning. It’s great to have you here on this fine Canberra day!

I’m Josh Boscaini joining you live (and bleary-eyed) from Parliament House here and ready to bring you the day in federal politics.

Remember yesterday? Just in case you need a recap, the federal government unveiled a 62 to 70 per cent 2035 climate target range.

It’s likely we’ll hear some more reaction to that emissions reduction target as we get into the thick of things this morning.

Strap in. We’re nearly there. Let’s power through it!

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