Coalition ‘failed’ to communicate climate policy with voters, says Melissa Price

Durack MP Melissa Price has said the Coalition “consistently failed” in communicating the effectiveness of its climate policy during the election campaign earlier this year. The climate debate was at the heart of voter choice this Federal election, with 60 per cent of Australians saying global warming was a significant issue, according to the Lowy Institue’s 2021 Climate Poll. The Liberal-National government vowed to support the long-term goal of reducing total greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050. While Labor also made the same promise, the key difference between both parties lay in the interim, where the Coalition promised a 26-28 per cent reduction by 2030 compared to Labor’s 43 per cent. Then-prime minister Scott Morrison vowed this plan would enable Australia to maintain its mining and farming industries. “Australians want action on climate change, but they also want to protect the Australian way of life,” he said. “We’re going to keep digging, we’re going to keep mining, we’re going to keep farming.” Now, six months on from the Labor victory, while speaking at the Kimberley Economic Forum, Ms Price conceded the inability to convince Australians of the effectiveness of their plan was her “greatest disappointment as a member of the Liberal Party”. “In nine years of government, we were successful in reducing emissions in a manner that was safe and responsible without raising the cost of electricity, without shutting down gas, coal production or export, without job losses,” she said. “We have consistently failed to demonstrate to Australians that not only did we effectively act on climate change, but our measures were also coveted globally as the gold standard.” In 2018, Ms Price attended COP24, where she said Australia and the Coalition government were praised for action on climate change. “It was clear to me that Australia had a very positive reputation for its professionalism and action on climate change,” she said. “At a time when many nations simply had emissions targets ... Australia was hailed for its actions. “We actually had a plan, and we were implementing it.” It seems a different story came out of the COP25, when the Morrison government was condemned for using loopholes to meet the 2030 emissions target set at the Paris summit four years prior. Still, Ms Price maintains it was a lack of communication that lost the election. “Unfortunately, I would say ... we failed to communicate this record to the Australian people and this failure cost us the opportunity to continue to deliver and build upon our successes,” she said The Liberal Party currently maintains its stance on lowering emissions 26-28 per cent by 2030. Ms Price left the environment portfolio behind in 2018.