Labor's climate change targets will become law after ACT independent David Pocock confirmed he would support them, despite arguing they were "clearly not enough" to address the threat of global warming.
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The Canberra Times understands Senator Pocock was late on Monday confident of securing the government's support on some amendments which would strengthen transparency, accountability and integrity of Labor's climate targets.
The former Wallabies captain confirmed he would support the government's climate change bill during a media blitz which came ahead of the start of debate in the Senate.
Senator Pocock's support will guarantee the passage of the legislation, which would enshrine Labor's 43 per cent 2030 emissions reduction target and net zero by 2050 goal.
The environmental activist was realistically never going to side with Peter Dutton's Coalition and vote against the bill, having declared from the outset that the government's plan was a small, but positive, step forward in tackling climate change.
But Senator Pocock had been resisting pressure to rubber-stamp the bill without first pushing for major changes.
The former Wallabies captain worked with fellow crossbenchers Jacqui Lambie and Tammy Tyrrell on amendments, including one which would force the government to release a greenhouse gas emissions outlook report alongside the federal budget.
The report would allow the public to assess the impact of budget spending on Australia's emissions.
Senator Pocock also outlined a raft of further proposed changes in his contribution to a Senate inquiry report into Labor's climate bill.
Speaking on ABC's RN Drive on Monday afternoon, Senator Pocock confirmed he would support the bill.
However, it remains unclear which specific amendments the key crossbencher believes he can get across the line.
"I will vote for this bill. It will pass. We will have a legislated climate target which is great for Australia," he said.
"It is clearly not enough if we're listening to scientists, and that's something that we're going to have to work on over time.
"But it [legislated targets] will provide certainty and [it] signals that Australia is more genuine about tackling this huge issue that we're facing."
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Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
