Politics with Michelle Grattan
News:Politics
Scott Morrison has indicated he wants to embrace a 2050 target of net-zero emissions. That, however, requires bringing the Nationals on board, and a vocal group in that party is fighting a fierce rearguard action.
The Nationals deputy leader David Littleproud, who is Minister for Agriculture, is sympathetic to the target - so long as there is a credible path to get there, which won't disadvantage rural Australians.
In this podcast Littleproud says he believes the pathway could be settled this year.
"That's not in my remit. But there is a hope to accelerate that and to make sure that we can provide that [pathway] as quickly as we can. The money's been set aside for a lot of that work and some of that work's already been completed."
As for that Nationals, "our position is we want to see the plan first. Our party room hasn't got to a juncture of dismissing it. We want to see what the plan is and who pays for it."
Asked whether agriculture would have to be exempted for the Nationals to sign up to the 2050 target, Littleproud says, "Well, with respect to ag, I think it cane be part of the solution".
On the ANZ's announcement this week it would stop lending to Australia's biggest coal port, the Port of Newcastle, Littleproud is scathing:
"Well, they're a pathetic joke... We had a banking royal commission and here we are, a bank telling the Australian people about how society should run. That is not their role. Their role is to provide capital."
Budget reaction: Mathias Cormann and Anna Bligh on the new bank tax
John Daley on the budget
Andrew Giles on schools funding
Simon Birmingham on the government’s education reforms
John Hewson on the Budget climate
Jane Halton on how to make a federal budget
Peter Jennings on North Korea’s aggression
Jenny Lambert on the 457 visa scrapping
Gareth Evans on Australian self-reliance
Matthew Sussex on Russia's long game
David Marr on Pauline Hanson’s star power
Michaelia Cash on union misconduct
Richard Di Natale on the future of work
WA election – Mark McGowan accuses Turnbull of bluffing
WA poll - Kim Beazley on One Nation
election report from the West
Former ambassador Jeff Bleich on the shocks of the Trump presidency
Ken Coates on the future of higher education
Hugh Saddler on Australia’s energy crisis
Anthony Albanese on Labor’s approach to infrastructure
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free