Australian opposition party unveils emissions reduction target ahead of 2022 election

Australia’s opposition Labor Party has promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent from the 2005 levels by 2030 if it wins the next election.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese on Friday announced the party’s emissions reduction target, setting climate change as one of the most important policy issues for the next election, which is due to be held by May 2022.

It is slightly lower than its 45-percent target in the 2019 election, significantly higher than the governing Coalition’s 26-28 percent target.

The Coalition estimates that Australia’s emissions will fall by as much as 35 percent by 2030 but has not formally committed to that target.

Albanese, who has criticized the government’s 2050 net-zero plan for lacking detail, said his medium-term target came with the “most comprehensive modeling” ever undertaken by an opposition party for any policy.

“Our plan will create 604,000 extra jobs by 2030. Five out of every six of these will be in regional Australia,” Albanese said.

“Australian business is leading. It is time that the Australian government caught up. That is why our plan to create jobs, cut power bills, boost renewables and reduce emissions, is the right plan for Australia.”

If elected in 2022, Albanese promised that Labor will achieve its goal by upgrading the electricity grid, developing a National Electric Vehicle Strategy and rolling out 85 solar banks across the country.

In response, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he expected Labor’s target to be higher.

“And if they have to get into that option with the Greens to form (a) government, it won’t be 43. That will be the opening bid and it’s going to end a lot higher than that,” he said, adding that “there’s nothing safe” about a Labor-Greens government.