www.newsausafe.com Open in urlscan Pro
188.34.178.100  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Skip to main content
ABC News Homepage


MORE FROM ABC

Close menu ABC
iview Listen
 * ABC Home
 * News
 * Local
 * Radio
 * iview
 * Everyday
 * More


EDITORIAL POLICIES

Read our editorial guiding principles
 * Accessibility
 * Help
 * Contact Us
 * About the ABC
 * Privacy Policy
 * Terms of Use
 * © 2023 ABC

 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 


 * Just In
 * Watch Live
 * Coronavirus
 * Politics
 * World
 * Business
 * Analysis
 * Sport
 * Science
 * Health
 * Arts
 * Fact Check
 * Other

News Home ABC News Homepage

Ghosts of parliaments past shape Adam Bandt and Greens climate pragmatism

Share
analysis


ANALYSISGHOSTS OF PARLIAMENTS PAST SHAPE ADAM BANDT AND GREENS CLIMATE
PRAGMATISM

By political correspondent Brett Worthington
Posted 6h ago6 hours agoMon 27 Mar 2023 at 4:55am, updated 5h ago5 hours agoMon
27 Mar 2023 at 5:57am
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down
arrows for volume.
Watch
Duration: 32 seconds32s



Adam Bandt says the Greens will continue to push the government to be more
ambitious on climate policy.
Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article
abc.net.au/news/climate-change-safeguard-mechanism-adam-bandt-chris-bowen/102149654
Link copied
Copy link Share

Anyone seeking to champion the end of Australia's climate wars would do well to
recall Mark Twain's oft-misquoted words.

"Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated," he's alleged to have told a
journalist inquiring into rumours he was dying. 

Real or not, it's a quote that goes to the heart of this next phase of
Australia's climate wars.

The deal between Labor and the Greens on the safeguard mechanism is undoubtedly
a major moment in the nation's sordid last 15 years.

It will enshrine into legislation Labor's central policy to cut carbon emissions
by 43 per cent by 2030.

But you just had to hear Greens leader Adam Bandt announcing the deal he had
reached with Labor to get a sense of what's to come.

"Negotiating with Labor is like negotiating with the political wing of the coal
and gas corporations," he said.

"Labor seems more afraid of the coal and gas corporations than the climate
collapse."

So much for peaceful times.


Adam Bandt has vowed to be a pragmatic leader of the Greens.(ABC News: Adam
Kennedy)

The new laws, which will come into force in July, will force the nation's top
215 largest-polluting facilities to cut or pay offsets to reduce their emissions
by 4.9 per cent each year to 2030.

The Greens have spent months saying their electoral success last year delivered
a mandate to demand the government ban any new coal or gas developments.

For Labor, it was a line it was unwilling to cross, fearing it would be accused
of going back on what it took to the election. 

The compromise they reached centres around a hard cap on emissions, which the
Greens say will wipe out half of the coal and gas projects in the pipelines,
arguing they will be unable to keep emissions under the cap, which will decrease
with time.


Chris Bowen has led negotiations with Adam Bandt on the safeguard mechanism.(ABC
News: Adam Kennedy)

The Greens are the first to dub the safeguard mechanism a flawed policy. It's
why it wanted such a high ask from the government (a ban on new coal and gas
projects) in return.

The party regularly derided the safeguard mechanism as having the ability to
push pollution up. 

Now that it's secured a hard cap on overall emissions, the party will now
champion that its policy will make it close to impossible for half of the
proposed projects to open. 

"The Greens have stopped about half of them [in the pipeline], but Labor still
wants to open the rest," Bandt said.

"And so, now there is going to be a fight for every new project that the
government wants to open."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, meanwhile, left his criticism for the Liberal
and National parties, which excluded themselves from the negotiations.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down
arrows for volume.
Watch
Duration: 32 seconds32s



Anthony Albanese thanks crossbenchers who worked with the government to support
the bill.


THE GHOSTS OF PARLIAMENTS PAST

That Labor and the Greens reached a deal offers a clear signal of just how far
the parties have come from the dark days of the carbon pollution reduction
scheme (CPRS) in 2009.

Each side has its own telling of what happened back then when the Greens joined
with the Coalition to vote down Kevin Rudd's climate policy, but the scars all
these years later remain raw for many.

Labor, for its part, lost two prime ministers in the climate wars. The Greens,
too, were brandished as a party that had made perfect the enemy of the good and
made few inroads into shaping government policy.


BEETALOO FRACKING DECISION LOOMS

The oil and gas industry's peak body says Beetaloo fracking licences could be
issued in a month, as critics say the government's promise to implement a key
inquiry is "impossible".


Read more

Bandt has repeatedly vowed that his leadership would be one of pragmatism. 

Achieving that with this policy has likely been the hardest battle he's faced
within his party room and comes after a choppy start to the year landing his
party's Voice policy.

Generational change in the party's ranks, plus last year's electoral success,
left Bandt navigating a party room with a rump of politicians unburdened by the
ghosts of parliaments past. 

Besides the obvious criticism Bandt has faced from Labor in recent weeks, fellow
crossbencher Jacqui Lambie has gone out of her way to slam the Greens for
threatening to walk away from a deal.


Jacqui Lambie has been critical of the prospect of the Greens walking away from
the negotiations. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)

Lambie knows she's only the kingmaker and able to extract demands from the
government, if the Greens are backing Labor's policy. 

She's repeatedly said the parliament should bank what it could and continue to
push Labor for more in the years to come. 

That's not a message party elder Bob Brown was pushing. 

He tore up his life membership of the Australian Conservation Foundation after
it urged the Greens to back Labor's climate policy. 

He's argued that was equivalent to caving into "Labor's sell-out policy".

Brown is a giant in the environmental movement. 

His influence within the modern party room is less clear. 

There are some who will argue that his intervention offered a reminder of what
happened under his leadership in 2009.

It served as a timely reminder of what failing to reach a deal might well mean
for the next decade of climate wars. 

There'd be a lot of rhetoric but not much action.

Posted 6h ago6 hours agoMon 27 Mar 2023 at 4:55am, updated 5h ago5 hours agoMon
27 Mar 2023 at 5:57am
Share
 * Copy link
 * Facebook
 * Twitter
 * 


RELATED STORIES


 * 'THERE IS GOING TO BE A FIGHT': GREENS SAY EVERY COAL AND GAS PROJECT LABOR
   WANTS TO OPEN WILL FACE STRONG OPPOSITION
   
   


 * 'SEIZE OR SQUANDER': BOWEN CHALLENGES PARLIAMENT TO ACCEPT EMISSIONS
   REDUCTION LAWS, OR RISK LOSING MOMENTUM
   
   


 * 'A GREEN LIGHT FOR NEW COAL AND GAS': CLIMATE ADVOCATES CRITICISE LABOR'S
   EMISSIONS POLICY
   
   




TOP STORIES


 * HIDDEN CAMERAS CAPTURE CARBON DIOXIDE STUNNING IN AUSTRALIA'S PORK INDUSTRY


 * FORMER AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER CHARGED WITH WAR CRIME 'EXTREMELY VULNERABLE' IN
   JAIL, LAWYER ARGUES


 * 'WHY ON EARTH IS IT STILL BEING RETAINED?': CYBER SECURITY EXPERT CRITICISES
   LATITUDE FINANCIAL FOR KEEPING OLD GE CUSTOMER DATA STOLEN IN HACK


 * 'I NEVER CONDEMNED YOU': VICTORIAN MP MOIRA DEEMING WALKS BACK CONDEMNATION
   OF RALLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA


 * AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC BOSS SAYS THE GABBA ONLY NEEDS 'A COAT OF PAINT' TO HOST
   2032 GAMES


 * PARTNER OF DETAINED MELBOURNE WOMAN CHENG LEI URGES DAN ANDREWS TO RAISE HER
   CASE IN CHINA


 * RUGBY AUSTRALIA BOSS LABELS NRL 'CRY-BABIES' AFTER CONFIRMATION OF
   SUA'ALI'I'S CODE SWITCH


 * THEY LOOK LIKE LANDMINES BUT THESE FISHING DEVICES ARE DRIFTING INTO THE
   GREAT BARRIER REEF FROM THE SOUTH PACIFIC


 * 'IF ONLY I COULD GO BACK IN TIME': AT 50, CLAUDIA KARVAN HAS A MESSAGE FOR
   HER 20-YEAR-OLD SELF


 * NEW RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN TRIES TO ENTICE MEN TO FIGHT IN UKRAINE


 * THESE ARE THE TACTICS GIVING REAL ESTATE AGENTS A BAD NAME


 * 'STARING FAILURE IN THE FACE': AUSTRALIAN SPORT'S $2 BILLION BLACK HOLE


 * WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE LATITUDE FINANCIAL HACK


 * SUPERANNUATION FUND NGS SUPER HIT BY CYBER ATTACK, 'LIMITED DATA' TAKEN FROM
   ITS SYSTEM


 * CROWN RESORTS INVESTIGATING POTENTIAL DATA BREACH AFTER BEING CONTACTED BY
   HACKING GROUP


POPULAR NOW

1.


: 'IF ONLY I COULD GO BACK IN TIME': AT 50, CLAUDIA KARVAN HAS A MESSAGE FOR HER
20-YEAR-OLD SELF



2.


: HIDDEN CAMERAS CAPTURE CARBON DIOXIDE STUNNING IN AUSTRALIA'S PORK INDUSTRY



3.


: THEY LOOK LIKE LANDMINES BUT THESE FISHING DEVICES ARE DRIFTING INTO THE GREAT
BARRIER REEF FROM THE SOUTH PACIFIC



4.


: 'I NEVER CONDEMNED YOU': VICTORIAN MP MOIRA DEEMING WALKS BACK CONDEMNATION OF
RALLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA



5.


: FORMER AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER CHARGED WITH WAR CRIME 'EXTREMELY VULNERABLE' IN
JAIL, LAWYER ARGUES



6.


: TALES OF TASMANIAN TIGERS SURVIVING IN THE WILD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED. UNTIL NOW





TOP STORIES


HIDDEN CAMERAS CAPTURE CARBON DIOXIDE STUNNING IN AUSTRALIA'S PORK INDUSTRY




FORMER AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER CHARGED WITH WAR CRIME 'EXTREMELY VULNERABLE' IN JAIL,
LAWYER ARGUES




'WHY ON EARTH IS IT STILL BEING RETAINED?': CYBER SECURITY EXPERT CRITICISES
LATITUDE FINANCIAL FOR KEEPING OLD GE CUSTOMER DATA STOLEN IN HACK




'I NEVER CONDEMNED YOU': VICTORIAN MP MOIRA DEEMING WALKS BACK CONDEMNATION OF
RALLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA




AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC BOSS SAYS THE GABBA ONLY NEEDS 'A COAT OF PAINT' TO HOST 2032
GAMES




PARTNER OF DETAINED MELBOURNE WOMAN CHENG LEI URGES DAN ANDREWS TO RAISE HER
CASE IN CHINA




RUGBY AUSTRALIA BOSS LABELS NRL 'CRY-BABIES' AFTER CONFIRMATION OF SUA'ALI'I'S
CODE SWITCH




THEY LOOK LIKE LANDMINES BUT THESE FISHING DEVICES ARE DRIFTING INTO THE GREAT
BARRIER REEF FROM THE SOUTH PACIFIC




'IF ONLY I COULD GO BACK IN TIME': AT 50, CLAUDIA KARVAN HAS A MESSAGE FOR HER
20-YEAR-OLD SELF




JUST IN


 * NEW ORGANISATION TO TAKE OVER ACTIV WORKSHOPS, GIVING EMPLOYMENT LIFELINE TO
   HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
   
   1h ago1 hours agoMon 27 Mar 2023 at 9:47am


 * TWO SERIOUS ROAD CRASHES IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA LESS THAN AN HOUR APART
   
   1h ago1 hours agoMon 27 Mar 2023 at 9:43am


 * JAPANESE NATIONAL DETAINED IN CHINA, SUSPECTED OF ENGAGING IN ESPIONAGE
   ACTIVITIES
   
   1h ago1 hours agoMon 27 Mar 2023 at 9:39am


 * GROUP CHARGED OVER ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO STEAL GOLD DUST
   
   1h ago1 hours agoMon 27 Mar 2023 at 9:38am


 * FORMER AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER CHARGED WITH WAR CRIME 'EXTREMELY VULNERABLE' IN
   JAIL, LAWYER ARGUES
   
   1h ago1 hours agoMon 27 Mar 2023 at 9:25am


 * THEY LOOK LIKE LANDMINES BUT THESE FISHING DEVICES ARE DRIFTING INTO THE
   GREAT BARRIER REEF FROM THE SOUTH PACIFIC
   
   1h ago1 hours agoMon 27 Mar 2023 at 9:25am

More Just In
Back to top


FOOTER

ABC News homepage
More From ABC NEWS

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First
Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and
work.


SECTIONS

 * ABC NEWS
 * Just In
 * Watch Live
 * Coronavirus
 * Politics
 * World
 * Business
 * Analysis
 * Sport
 * Science
 * Health
 * Arts
 * Fact Check
 * Other


NEWS IN LANGUAGE

 * 中文
 * Berita Bahasa Indonesia
 * Tok Pisin


CONNECT WITH ABC NEWS

 * Facebook
 * Twitter
 * Instagram
 * YouTube
 * Apple News


MORE FROM ABC NEWS

 * Contact ABC NEWS

This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN,
Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be
reproduced.

AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT
(Greenwich Mean Time)

 * Editorial Policies
 * Accessibility
 * Help
 * Contact Us
 * About the ABC
 * Privacy Policy
 * Terms of Use
 * © 2023 ABC

 * 
 * 
 * 
 *