Scott Morrison says target by 2050 ‘just ideology, not policy’
Former prime minister Scott Morrison, who set a net-zero emissions target for Australia by 2050, declared the commitment was “mere ideology”, giving impetus from a senior figure in his group to Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to back away from Coalition policy.
Morrison’s intervention came as Energy Minister Chris Bowen reassured households that electricity bills would fall as cheap renewable energy flooded the grid.
Former prime minister Scott Morrison. Credit: access point
In an update to be published on Thursday, the energy market operator said a surge in wind, solar and hydroelectric power had reduced wholesale electricity prices in Australia’s eastern states by more than a quarter since July, even as cold weather boosted demand and more electric cars were connected to the grid.
Some of Ley’s more moderate allies want to retain the 2050 target to appeal to urban voters who abandoned the Coalition in the last two elections, while others argue that the 2050 deadline imposes unacceptable costs on the economy.
“Net zero at any cost on any strict timeline is not policy, it is simply ideology,” Morrison said in a post on LinkedIn. His statement followed a stronger condemnation from former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, who signed up to the net zero emissions target with Morrison.
The Albanian government has enacted a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 as part of Australia’s commitment under the Paris Agreement and set an interim target to reduce emissions by at least 62 per cent by 2035.
The government promised in the 2022 election that renewable energy (providing clean energy to 82 percent of the grid by 2030) would reduce electricity bills by $275 by 2025, but instead bills have skyrocketed for a variety of reasons, including conflicts abroad.
But new figures from the Australian Energy Market Operator show prices on the east coast grid fell 27 per cent on the same period last year and 38 per cent on the previous quarter in the three months to September 30, as wind and solar energy increased and the contribution of coal power decreased.
The Albanian government has used the figures to combat criticism from the opposition that its clean energy agenda has made energy unaffordable and cited energy costs as Australia’s largest aluminum smelter, Tomago, signaled potential closure.
