- Prime Minister says Dutton is abandoning emissions targets
- Dutton says his party has a credible path to net zero by 2050
- The opposition leader also focused on cost of living pressures.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton rejected the Prime Minister’s weekend attack that he is abandoning emissions targets in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Australia.
“We are committed to the Paris climate agreement and are the only party with a credible path to net zero by 2050,” Dutton told Daily Mail Australia.
That plan includes a yet-to-be-released policy to adopt nuclear power, a form of energy used around the world but recently criticized by the CSIRO for not being viable in Australia.
“The difference between Mr Albanese and me is that I am not going to destroy the economy and send families out of business in the process,” Mr Dutton said.
The opposition leader focused on growing pressures on the cost of living, particularly energy prices.
The row over emissions targets came as the Prime Minister accused the opposition (leader Peter Dutton above) of walking away from the Paris Agreement.
‘It is telling that when the Prime Minister talks about targets, he never mentions electricity costs. “This is because they are going to skyrocket with an all-renewables policy,” Mr Dutton said.
As Albanese mulls a snap election before the summer, Dutton also questioned renewable energy’s ability to meet peak demand.
“As the energy regulator says, the likelihood of blackouts under the Albanian government’s policies is increasing,” he said.
The row over emissions targets came as the prime minister accused the opposition of walking away from the Paris Agreement.
“Peter Dutton is walking away from climate action,” Albanese said over the weekend.
‘Your decision to abandon the 2030 target means you are moving away from the Paris Agreement.
‘If you leave the Paris Agreement, you will be on the side of Libya, Yemen and Iran, and against all our major trading partners and all our important allies.
“You can’t shape the future if you’re afraid of it, and Peter Dutton is afraid of the future and unable to lead Australia to the future we need.”
“The Prime Minister (above) seems weak and nervous,” Dutton said. “The Albanian Government is more than two years old, but it looks and feels like it is 22 years old”
The Paris Agreement includes a 45 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030 and a net zero emissions target by 2050. The Coalition has committed to the latter.
Experts warn Australia’s chances of meeting the 2030 target are fading. Grattan Institute Energy Director Tony Wood recently said that “it looks quite difficult for the government to hit that (2030) target.”
“Rather than trying to impress world leaders, it’s about time Mr Albanese started focusing on Australians,” Mr Dutton told Daily Mail Australia.
The opposition leader also took aim at the prime minister’s lack of toughness, fueling the narrative that Dutton is the alpha candidate for prime minister, while Albanese is a beta personality.
“The prime minister seems weak and nervous,” Dutton said.
“The Albanian Government is more than two years old, but it feels and looks like it is 22 years old.”
Dutton argued that a pattern of failure is developing as Albanese remains in power.
‘Outside of The Voice, Mr. Albanese has no agenda. “The budget sank like a rock and the economy is tanking under him and families and small businesses are suffering,” he said.
Last week’s GDP figures revealed that growth for the quarter had slowed to just 0.1 per cent and an annual rate of just 1.1 per cent, the lowest in almost 40 years outside the pandemic.