TURNBULL MUST STAND UP TO ABBOTT ON PARIS AGREEMENT

Labor welcomes Foreign Minister Bishop’s repudiation of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s demand for Australia to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change.

 

The Paris climate change accord was a historic agreement by the international community to secure an ambitious, effective and enduring response to climate change.

 

As Minister Bishop has today made clear, endorsing this Agreement was not a mere “aspiration”, but a binding commitment by Australia that by 2030, our emissions would be 26 per cent lower than 2005 levels.

 

Tearing up the Paris Agreement would send a signal to the world that Australia’s word cannot be trusted.

 

Agreements such as those signed in Paris are an intrinsic part of the rules-based system that has served Australia and the world well.

 

As the Foreign Minister has stated “Australia plays by the rules - if we sign an agreement we stick to the agreement."

 

While the chaos in the Coalition party room continues, the real issue remains the Turnbull Government’s inability to meet its already weak Paris commitments.

 

Carbon pollution has gone up every year since the Liberals took office and the Government’s own data shows it will continue rising to 2030.

 

Over the last year pollution levels have risen by 1.5 per cent – with the seasonally adjusted data showing emissions jumped by 0.83 per cent in just the last quarter alone.

 

Tackling climate change is a Labor priority. It is our promise to young Australians – 50 per cent renewables by 2030, 45 per cent cut in emissions by 2030, and net zero emissions by 2050.

 

It is now time for the Turnbull Government to put an end to Australia’s climate wars and join Labor in endorsing a long term, sustainable energy policy that reaffirms our international treaty commitments, encourages investment in renewables, puts downward pressure on power prices, create jobs and drives down pollution.