Dr Peter McCawley recently wrote that, "in Canberra, as in Washington, much depends on understanding power: knowing where to hunt for it, being able to grab or guide it, and knowing when to seize the chance to command and control."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
For the Coalition, controlling the levers of power for three terms has been a skilful exercise in capitalising on electoral opportunity.
Climate change has featured prominently as a turbulent and divisive issue for over a decade, and frequently appears in the political post-mortem of former prime ministers.
Climate change has featured prominently as a turbulent and divisive issue for over a decade, and frequently appears in the political post-mortem of former prime ministers.
However, in recent years the cost Australia's lacklustre policy settings has increasingly taken its toll on Australia's international standing and foreign policy effectiveness.
As the next election draws near, it is in the interests of the government to set a more ambitious climate change policy platform.
Driven by both the need to avert the effects of an accelerating climate disaster and the need to amend the reputational damage to Australia's international standing.
But for the Coalition, it also offers an opportunity to remove any significant political space between it and Labor at the next election.
Elections are won by debating issues on your ground, and for the Coalition this means shifting election narratives from Labor strength topics, such as climate change, towards perceived Coalition strengths such as economic management, jobs, and national security.
When it counts, the Coalition has made an art of campaigning on small target policy platforms and marginalising Labor's strengths.
In 2013, former-prime minister Tony Abbott personified this with the soundbite of "no cuts" on education, health, public broadcasters, and more, largely nullifying Labor attacks on those issues.
This was seen again in 2019, where Labor's poor campaign and sprawling policy platform led it astray, allowing for the Coalition to seize control of select key issues and deliver a shock victory.
However, as we edge closer to the next federal election, international momentum on climate change continues to build and this bodes ominously for the government.
New U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has moved quickly to shift international focus to increasing ambitions and targets.
This has been welcomed by many allies, including the Conservative government of Boris Johnson in the United Kingdom.
For Australia, any space previously available to abscond from responsibility created by the Trump administration will rapidly disappear.
Further, in the US the climate conversation has shifted beyond the traditional realms of environmentalism to also incorporate national security.
The Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, was also appointed to the National Security Council, the first person on the council ever to be solely focused on climate change.
Speaking at a White House press conference last week, Kerry stated that climate change is, "central to foreign policy planning, to diplomacy, and to national security preparedness".
For the Morrison government this offers a means by which to enact policy change.
It opens the door to set a more ambitious policy platform that if not taken, risks casting Australia further adrift from the international zeitgeist on climate change.
This was recently noted by former-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who urged the Morrison government should seize on the new agenda of President Biden and end the policy "vacuum".
In his autobiography, former Liberal minister Christopher Pyne wrote that "those people who said I like the game more than the policy misunderstood that the game is to get the power to be able to do policy - I always wanted to be somebody who had the hands on the levers of power".
Whether driven by a desire to join the international push towards mitigating the worst effects of a climate disaster, or for political gain, or both, it is in the government's interest to set a more ambitious climate change policy platform.
READ MORE:
On Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the press club that, "our goal is reach net zero emissions as soon as possible, and preferably by 2050". Reiterating the desire but without commitment.
Poll after poll has shown a majority of Australians want more action, as do many within the Coalition, the case for greater commitment demands more from the government.
- Philip Citowicki is a foreign policy commentator and was an advisor to former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop.
