Key crossbencher Jacqui Lambie is ramping up pressure on Labor to strengthen its climate bill, accusing the federal government of "claiming credit" for progress achieved by the states.
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In an op-ed for The Canberra Times on Wednesday, Senator Lambie, who has formed a bloc with colleague Tammy Tyrrell and fellow independent David Pocock, warned the bill was a "symbol" which did little to strengthen or make permanent Australia's climate targets.
Labor's attempts to enshrine its 43 per cent target in law passed the lower house this month. It requires one extra vote to push the bill through the Senate, after Greens leader Adam Bandt revealed the party would begrudgingly vote for it.
Senator Lambie argued the Paris Agreement meant Australia was unable to walk back its 43 per cent target easily, while Labor's bill did not impose penalties for failure, or prevent future governments from reversing it.
"So what does it do, exactly?" she asked.
"It's a symbol, and that's alright. Plenty of politics is about symbols, and it's not to say they're without value.
"[But] it doesn't make anything 'Dutton-proof', whatever that is supposed to mean."
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Senator Lambie said the states were already doing most of the heavy lifting in reducing emissions, from closing coal-fired power stations, to regulating land clearance, to incentivising uptake of electric vehicles.
Pre-existing state targets already had Australia on course to reduce emissions by between 37 and 42 per cent nationally, she said.
"In other words, Labor's committed to reducing emissions by as little as one per cent beyond what was going to happen if they didn't do anything," she said.
The independent senator said she had joined forces with crossbench colleague, ACT senator David Pocock, to amend the bill.
The tweaks would force the Commonwealth to produce estimates on how big an impact the federal budget was having on emissions reduction.
"Right now, the feds are claiming credit for the state government's hard work. This amendment would require them to show how much they're doing, off their own bat," she said.
"Kids in primary school aren't allowed to hand in maths homework if it doesn't show their work.
"We don't accept it from an eight-year-old. Why would we accept it from the federal government?"
Finn McHugh
Finn McHugh has been federal political reporter for The Canberra Times since July 2021. He joined the Canberra Press Gallery in 2019 where he was executive producer of Sky News's AM Agenda, before joining NCA NewsWire as a federal political reporter. He has previously interned at the Kuwait Times.
Finn McHugh has been federal political reporter for The Canberra Times since July 2021. He joined the Canberra Press Gallery in 2019 where he was executive producer of Sky News's AM Agenda, before joining NCA NewsWire as a federal political reporter. He has previously interned at the Kuwait Times.
