Greens Member for Ballina Tamara Smith has slammed Labor’s recent climate bill success as a ‘waste of time’ and says her party will introduce their own next year.
State parliamentarians were up into the early hours of the morning more than once in the final sitting week for 2023 as they debated the merits, or otherwise, of Labor’s emissions goals and strategies.
Labor issued a media release once their amended bill passed, saying it had made ambitious emissions reduction targets law and set up a ‘strong and independent’ Net Zero Commission.
But after voting for the bill with amendments thrashed out in parliament, Ms Smith said the new Climate Change (Net Zero Future) goal of net zero climate emissions by 2050 wasn’t ‘a game changer’.
Greens push for independent commissioner free from fossil fuels ties
There were some ‘important improvements’ made to the bill with thanks to her party, Ms Smith said, including in terms of the commissioner’s independence and ability to give advice about new coal and gas projects.
‘They love appointing commissioners,’ Ms Smith said of Labor NSW, ‘we managed to get a push that that person can’t be someone who has any ties to the fossil fuel industry’.
‘But at the end of the day, climate science is telling us and what the lead organisations around the world, including the UN, are saying is that when countries and governments are saying net zero by 2050, that it just means nothing without interim binding steep targets’.
‘Yeah, we’ve kind of enabled Labor to faff around,’ the Ballina member said, ‘so next year, we will be introducing our own legislation’.
‘It may not get up but we’re not going just sit back because let’s face it, in 2050 a lot of those people, they won’t even be in politics and it’s well and truly too late,’ she said.
From 18% to 50% reductions in seven years
Aside from the net-zero-by-2050 goal, the new law also includes staged targets of an overall reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 50% compared to 2005 by 2030 and 70% by 2035.
The new law includes setting up an independent Net Zero Commission to ‘monitor, review, report on and advise on progress towards these targets,’ the government says.
Ms Smith said the new law offered no hope of slowing down a two-degree global warming trajectory.
‘Two degrees of warming is very unpleasant on the planet and risk to life,’ the Greens member said, ‘so it’s disappointing, it’s incredibly disappointing’.
‘We tried to get that steep interim target, make it binding, and they wouldn’t have a bar of it,’ Ms Smith said, referring to the political debate in parliament between The Greens and Labor.
‘What are we going to do, get to 2048 and go, oops, we’re not on target?’ she said, ‘that is absurd and everyone in the climate space thinks it’s absurd as well’.
The state’s trajectory will have to improve significantly quickly given the government’s acknowledgement of NSW having only achieved an 18% reduction on 2005 levels of greenhouse gas emissions to date.
The reduction was achieved, the government said, by going ‘beyond aspirational targets and enshrining them in law’.
Lismore Labor MP says coal has to go
Labor said the new law provided for the targets to be ‘ratcheted up over time, in line with community expectations’.
‘It commits the Premier and Minister for Climate Change to meeting the net zero target, demonstrating the government’s commitment to serious action on climate change,’ Labor’s media release said.
‘It will also provide business and industry with energy and investment certainty, and create new jobs while bolstering Australian manufacturing in the energy sector.’
Minister for Climate Change, Energy and the Environment Penny Sharpe was quoted saying the new law was proof Labor could build consensus on ‘what is right for NSW’ and deliver key election promises, ‘despite holding minority government’.
Labor Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said there had been the ‘usual argy bargy’ during parliamentary debate but the billl ‘got through’.
‘Everybody wants to get there sooner,’ Ms Saffin said, ‘so within the legislation, there’s commitments to try and get there sooner, which is fantastic’.
‘It’s legislated for the first time in NSW that we have to transition to renewables,’ Ms Saffin said, ‘and yes, while there’s still some coal happening, it will go, it has to go because otherwise, we don’t get to net zero’.
‘Gas and coal will be around for a while,’ the Labor member said.
‘But the quicker they go the better because there’s been so little done on transition over the years,’ she said.
Never fear, Tamara is here, who is Tamara?.
The “voice” from Byron.
Janelle Saffin is the one getting things done.
Well yes, Flood Victims overjoyed at all this “getting things done” business.
This is another conjob from the ALP.
Climate Targets are meaningless when Fossil Fuel extraction and usage is being expanded under the the ALP, at both NSW State and Federal levels of government.
The only party serious about getting off Fossil Fuel is The Greens, the Greens unlike Lab and LibNat have not been totally bought out by $’shundredsofthosusands Fossil Fuel Industry ‘donations’.
The Clean Energy Council rejected paying the $M25 cost of Byron Councils proposal to build a Methane burning gas fired electricity Plant in Sunrise Byron Bay, so now Byron Council has just applied for half the cost, $M12, to be payed by the NSW govt’s ‘Better Regions’ program (and half to payed by Council). There is a few other political con jobs around as well as from Labour
All so easy from a minor party, no responsibility position. Great balance here to Echo. Sure you have two perspectives but whose is given credence. “ Greens Ballina MP slams Labor’s net zero climate bill”. An agenda here?
As usual, I fail to see the point of your comment……and, of course, Grrrrrr is always pointless.
The facts are that LABOR, ‘LIBERAL’ and the other minority partner in the ‘coalition’, the NATIONALS, are all in violent agreement, there will be NO abatement in the head-long rush to planet-wide annihilation, of perhaps every living thing because we need fossil fuel to provide jobs and fill the coffers of all these political parties and fuel the life-styles of our corrupt politicians.
Saudi Arabia, the Yanks, and Australia are the greatest contributors to this worldwide pollution and someone is benefiting greatly from it, and to hell with tomorrow.
The GREENS are merely stating the obvious and of course it will have no effect because Australians are just way too stupid to know or care.
Cheers,G”)
I’m sure Gregrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr will be shocked to find you think him pointless. You two seem so often in unison. Labor is not in violent agreement with the LNP except that they know that we can’t just click our fingers and turn off all our fossil fuel power generation. Or do you think we can.
The LNP basically think we never need to while Labor is investing in renewables and the grid upgrade with gusto. If you informed yourself about this stuff you’d know.
Australia is starting from a point well behind but so is the whole world. It was neither by those who stuck their fingers in their ears, when told things had to change, nor those who demanded, continue to demand an instant transformation.
The planet isn’t going anywhere. The planet is fine. Life on this planet is fine, it likes CO2. Tends to make it grow faster.
Christian, “The planet is fine. Life on this planet is fine, it likes CO2”, except of course what counts is The Science and not some made up rubbish, The Science and the 6 IPCC Assessment Reports are very clear.
Seriously, what a beat-up, if Tamara Smith and the Greens have so much influence and power to set climate change policy, why didn’t she lead a Green delegation to the Cop 28 climate conference in Dubai, I’m sure they would have had no trouble securing an outcome that would ban the use of all fossil fuels overnight, and wouldn’t it be great to see old mate Joachim as part of that delegation, with his idealistic background and record of achievements, he would talk the World leaders still holding out on necessary action into submission in the blink of the eye. LOL.
Hello me old mate Keithy.
I feeling our bromance still has some warmth in it.
COPout28 Dubai, it has been another COPout revelation.
I still can’t get my head around COPout26 Glasgow, where ScottyfromMarketing had his mates from SANTOS in tow and we had to view the spectacle that was the SANTOS Marketing Stall – who does that at a Climate Conference, for dog’s sake!
COPout28, UAE decides that if COPout26 can have the SANTOS Marketing Stall, we gonna go badder still…..we gonna have our OPEC Marketing Stall – who does that at a Climate Conference, for dog’s dake!
COPout28, the single biggest delegation, the some 2,000plus Fossil Fuel Industry lobbyists, some imbedded in the contingents from the 197 nations in attendance – all at a Climate Conference, for dog’s sake!
Keith, I do love your confidence in my ‘super powers’ but I admit that even I would struggle against that 2,000 strong Fossil Fuel Army!
28 COPs and not one has delivered the final text along the lines of…. ‘Fossil Fuel must be ended’.
The Science has been clear for decades, the INaction on the Science is truly mind boggling.
All I can say is, Humans really are a stupid species.
Joachim my man, silly comedy isn’t going to cut it from ideologs like yourself, the world is struggling to come to grips with climate saving policy, your continuous slagging off at the Albanese Govt. is doing more harm than good, but understanding that is obviously beyond your capacity.
Keith my bro, “silly comedy….”, please do tell us where I was incorrect in what I wrote about the Fossil Fuel Industry at Glasgow and Dubai. Nothing comedic at all about the Fossil Fuel Industry taking over the world’s premier annual climate conference.
As for the ALP and their Fossil Fuel Industry boosting ways, all you need do is some basic research.
Best not look up the fact that Australia’s emissions went up 0.8% in the year ended June 2023.
Joachim old son, what ever the outcome of the climate conference at at and Dubai will achieve is certainly arguable, but one thing is certain the fact that Chris Bowen was there leading the charge to enshrine the phasing out of fossil fuels in the final statement was a hell of a lot better than Angus Taylor being there, do your research my bro, facts are not your strong point.
Only .8%? Australian can’t transition overnight to renewables no matter how fast their progress. They are starting a long way behind (I wonder why?) and have you taken into account the return to normality following a period of both state and international closed borders?
Keith and Lizardbreath, the choice of Liberal or Liberal-lite ALP isn’t the solution – they both bought by $’shundredsofthousands Fossil Fuel Industry ‘donations’ and they happily deliver on that ROI with their unashamedly boosting of new Fossil Fuel Adventures which is against the Science / IPCC and the IEA.
All well and good for Minister Chris being at Dubai, that “final statement” has so many loopholes for continuing with Fossil Fuel, it is a COPout. World emissions keep rising, Australia is right in amongst it all, with a 0.8% increase, no serious action to the e n d i n g of fossil fuel – even after 30 years IPCC scientific research, the 6 IPCC Assessment Reports and the 28 COPs to date.
Bowen / Albo / Plibersek can keep talking a nice the hear climate game for all they like but whilst new fossil fuel adventures keep getting approved, keep coming on line, then Bowen / Albo / Plibersek are burning any climate credibility that they might have / thought they had.
Joachim old son, you and your Greens are never going to learn from your past mistakes are you?, you can carp on about the Labor party not being fairdinkum about climate change as much as you like, but the question is, just what are you and your Green ideologs going to do about it when your primary vote is constantly stuck between 10 and 12% and you have virtually no chance of ever being elected to Govt. My man, we know exactly what has to be done regarding climate change, but here is the problem, we have also learnt the hard way about what CAN be done and also keep the Coalition out of Govt so they can’t wreck the gains that have been made. Seriously old son, the last thing myself and the Labor party need is constant lecturing from an idealistic and amateurish Greens luminary who has absolutely no idea of what it takes to be in Govt, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Ken, settle down old sport, the annhiliation of every living thing. A little radical one might say. Please share with us your source of information, I can’t wait. One thing you can count on is the eventual abandonment of net zero by 2050. It is an impossible ambition which any realist can see, to start with no where near enough copper for transmission lines is available and won’t be any time before 2050. Mark my words, you will see a rush back to coal and gas in the not too long term, share prices will sky rocket, renewables will be a bad memory and an obscene blight upon the landscape.
Russian goes into Ukraine, covid disappears. Maybe if they go into Germany, climate disasterism would disappear. One day they will simply stop talking about it, and it will be memory holed. Like none of them ever ripped a single cent off.