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Ambitious action on climate change

Ambitious action on climate change that makes Australia a Clean Energy Superpower

Faced with an urgent need to reduce emissions, Australia is also blessed with an incredible opportunity. As Minister Bowen says “The world's climate emergency is Australia's jobs opportunity.”

LEAN applauds the Government’s significant efforts to implement its 43% emissions reduction target by 2030, and particularly the significant measures it has taken to shift Australia’s electricity generation from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Since Labor came to government in 2022, here are just some of the significant progress that has been made on climate action: 

  • Reformed the Safeguard Mechanism - to reduce emissions from our 215 biggest industrial emitters of 4.9 per cent a year, equivalent of taking two-thirds of the cars off our roads by 2030. 
  • Introduced the Capacity Investment Scheme - a framework to deliver an additional 32 GW of renewables by 2030. 
  • Rewiring the Nation - struck further funding deals for vital new energy infrastructure with NSW and WA, TAS and Victoria. 
  • Introduced a A New Vehicle Efficiency Standard that will reduce emissions from new passenger vehicles by more than 60 per cent by 2030, and roughly halve the emissions of new light commercial vehicles over the same period
  • Established the Net Zero Economy Agency to have a laser-like focus on the economic opportunities for the regions, industries and workers at the centre of the energy transformation
  • Established Offshore Wind Zones in 6 priority areas: the Hunter, Illawarra, Gippsland, Southern Ocean, Bass Strait, Indian Ocean off Bunbury
  • Established the National Reconstruction Fund with targeted investment of $3 billion in renewables and low emissions technologies.
  • Recapitalised the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, with additional focus on local content and employment opportunities through the investment mandate.
  • Funded the Driving the Nation charging program, which will see a fast charger once every 150km on average on our highways.
  • $1 billion to the Household Energy Upgrades Fund, enabling the CEFC to partner with loan institutions to offer low-cost finance for household energy upgrades.
  • Approved dozens of renewable energy projects - enough to power the equivalent of more than 7 million Australian homes.
  • Is Developing 'Sectoral plans' to help major sectors transition to a net zero economy - covering the six major sectors of the economy. 
  • and more... 

Whats Needed 

LEAN is concerned that despite good intentions, some sections of government policy are at odds with our climate goals, for example the Future Gas Strategy, which LEAN has been deeply critical of.

LEAN urges the Government to ensure that all policies, regulations, investments and project approvals are consistent with the following climate principles:

  1. They do not lock in emissions
  2. Communities and the Government will not be left with stranded assets
  3. They do not delay or raise the cost of decarbonisation