The Senate has approved the government of Albanese’s centrepiece climate change law, clearing the door for the enactment of carbon reduction goals.
By 2030, the measure will guarantee a 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and net-zero emissions by 2050.
Despite appeals for more aggressive climate targets, Labor’s legislation passed the upper house on Thursday with the help of the Greens and several cross-bench lawmakers.
Jenny McAllister, a leading member of the Labor Party, claimed that the approval of the law signalled the conclusion of a ten-year climate war.
As Senator McAllister addressed the chamber, “policy certainty is the best approach to bring down emissions.”
The coalition abstained on the bill.
A number of reforms, including stricter reporting requirements for the responsible minister, were won by independent senator David Pocock.
A Greens proposal to exclude new coal and gas projects and raise the 2030 objective to “at least 75%” was also rejected.
Spoiler alert: We don’t have support for this proposal, joked Greens senator Larissa Waters before the vote.
Additionally, Senator Pocock criticised the government for calling its 43% objective ambitious after modelling revealed that state and territory plans would cut Australia’s emissions by 42%.
“Australians are going to be asking questions,” he continued, “whether one percent is ambitious.”
However, Senator McAllister claimed that during the switch to renewable energy, fossil fuels would play “an crucial function in helping to power communities.”
A One Nation amendment that questioned the connection between humans and climate change as well as a National’s effort to have the Productivity Commission conduct regular investigations also fell short.
Senator Matt Canavan of the Nationals opposed climate goals and the switch to renewable energy in his address.
According to him, Europe’s aggressive emission reduction goals have caused power shortages.
A sophisticated nation that is months away from the start of winter cannot ensure that its citizens will be able to stay warm, said Senator Canavan.
It’s not overly dramatic to state that unless anything changes, people will almost always perish needlessly throughout the European winter as a result of these ineffective, ignorant climate change initiatives.
The legislation will then be sent back to the House of Representatives, where Labor holds a majority and the revisions will be quickly adopted.
The law will then be signed into effect.
The initial bill from the Albanesian administration was approved by the lower house in August.