Australian climate leadership is 30 years behind

Last week, the Australian Prime Minister released a plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050. At just 29 pages about 1,800 pages shorter than the UK’s equivalent — it reads more like a list of buzzwords and accounting sleight-of-hand than a clear strategy.

It’s a plan built on delay, avoiding the tough calls and leaning heavily on offsets instead of genuine change.

It's time for some leadership

We are desperate for leaders who can lift their heads and say, “We can do this — and here’s how.”

Instead, we got a Prime Minister who hesitated to even attend the most important climate summit since Paris until the polling looked safe. And when he did turn up, he delivered a plan the New York Times called “hard to believe.”

Compare that to Bob Hawke’s 1989 speech announcing Australia’s decision to protect Antarctica from mining:

“Antarctica provides the habitat for and sustains many living species, on its shores and in the teeming oceans that surround it.

Even more importantly, it plays a crucial role in global climate matters, influencing our weather, the ocean currents and sea level. It is also our most valuable laboratory for measuring the greenhouse effect and changes in the thickness of the ozone layer. For all the strength of natural forces at play there, the Antarctic environment is paradoxically fragile. Upsetting this delicate balance could threaten changes that would alter the world in quite dramatic ways.

We must therefore preserve the Antarctic environment. The most urgent and relevant action we can take is to ensure that this irreplaceable environment is never put at risk by mining. That is why Australia has decided not to sign the Minerals Convention.”

Actual mention of climate change. Of sea level rise. Of greenhouse gases. Of the fragile environment. And crucially an actual plan to do something about it.

Read the full transcript here.

Actual mention of climate matters. Of sea level change. Of greenhouse gases. Of the fragile environment. And an actual resolve and an actual plan to do something about it.

That was over 30 years ago. It shows just how far backwards we’ve gone.

We need leaders willing to make bold, immediate decisions not game the system to get to “net zero” on paper, decades too late.

Businesses are ready for this leadership. They’re calling for clear targets, real legislation and a challenge worth rising to. Because if government sets a goal, business will innovate to meet it. That’s what business does, it thrives on change.

Instead, we have a government clinging to outdated systems. And it’s too late for that.

We’re already 30 years behind.

Image source: Australian Antarctic Division