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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/10/tony-abbotts-climate-change-speech-loopy-says-labor
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| Tony Abbott's climate change speech 'loopy', says Labor | Tony Abbott's climate change speech 'loopy', says Labor |
| (2 days later) | |
| Tony Abbott has “left the realm of the merely destructive and entered the realm of the loopy”, Labor says, after his provocative speech arguing climate change was “probably doing good”. | Tony Abbott has “left the realm of the merely destructive and entered the realm of the loopy”, Labor says, after his provocative speech arguing climate change was “probably doing good”. |
| The deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek said on Tuesday Abbott’s speech to a group of climate sceptics in London was “actually just weird stuff from the former prime minister” at a time when the government was trying to settle its energy policy. | The deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek said on Tuesday Abbott’s speech to a group of climate sceptics in London was “actually just weird stuff from the former prime minister” at a time when the government was trying to settle its energy policy. |
| While Abbott’s London outburst forced government colleagues into various acts of public diplomacy on Tuesday, one fellow conservative, the Sydney Liberal MP Craig Kelly, and chairman of the backbench committee on climate and energy, defended Abbott’s rationale. | While Abbott’s London outburst forced government colleagues into various acts of public diplomacy on Tuesday, one fellow conservative, the Sydney Liberal MP Craig Kelly, and chairman of the backbench committee on climate and energy, defended Abbott’s rationale. |
| “The point that Tony makes is 100% correct, and the chief scientist has actually confirmed this, the chief scientist has said, no matter what we do here in Australia with our emissions, it’s not going to change the weather, it’s not going to change the temperature of the globe, it’s not going to prevent bad storms,” Kelly told Sky News. | “The point that Tony makes is 100% correct, and the chief scientist has actually confirmed this, the chief scientist has said, no matter what we do here in Australia with our emissions, it’s not going to change the weather, it’s not going to change the temperature of the globe, it’s not going to prevent bad storms,” Kelly told Sky News. |
| The government this week has continued to signal that it will not pursue the clean energy target modelled by the chief scientist, Alan Finkel, in his review of the national electricity market published mid-year. | The government this week has continued to signal that it will not pursue the clean energy target modelled by the chief scientist, Alan Finkel, in his review of the national electricity market published mid-year. |
| Abbott has opposed the Finkel recommendation from the outset, branding further subsidies for renewables “unconscionable”, and, alongside fellow government conservative George Christensen, has threatened to cross the floor in the event the government attempts to legislate it. | Abbott has opposed the Finkel recommendation from the outset, branding further subsidies for renewables “unconscionable”, and, alongside fellow government conservative George Christensen, has threatened to cross the floor in the event the government attempts to legislate it. |
| With the government working to finalise its policy and present it during the final parliamentary sitting weeks before the summer break, the energy minister Josh Frydenberg used an energy summit on Monday to argue low emissions technologies may not need further subsidies once the current renewable energy target winds down after 2020. | With the government working to finalise its policy and present it during the final parliamentary sitting weeks before the summer break, the energy minister Josh Frydenberg used an energy summit on Monday to argue low emissions technologies may not need further subsidies once the current renewable energy target winds down after 2020. |
| That signal has rattled industry players, who had assumed the government was working on a modified version of the Finkel recommendation. | That signal has rattled industry players, who had assumed the government was working on a modified version of the Finkel recommendation. |
| As industry alarm about the government’s policy direction intensified, the chief scientist publicly defended his mechanism as being important to provide investor certainty. | As industry alarm about the government’s policy direction intensified, the chief scientist publicly defended his mechanism as being important to provide investor certainty. |
| While the clean energy target has broad ranging support from industry, the energy sector and state governments, the heavily contested internal dynamics of the Coalition renders the Finkel recommendation hard to deliver. | While the clean energy target has broad ranging support from industry, the energy sector and state governments, the heavily contested internal dynamics of the Coalition renders the Finkel recommendation hard to deliver. |
| The government’s new energy policy is expected to include an overhaul of the national electricity market rules to provide incentives to bring more dispatchable power in the market. | The government’s new energy policy is expected to include an overhaul of the national electricity market rules to provide incentives to bring more dispatchable power in the market. |
| While Finkel’s target has clearly hit an internal roadblock, the policy is expected to include mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the use of international permits, which the government first signalled when it launched a review of its Direct Action policy. | While Finkel’s target has clearly hit an internal roadblock, the policy is expected to include mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the use of international permits, which the government first signalled when it launched a review of its Direct Action policy. |
| Industry sources also expect the existing Emissions Reduction Fund, which is the Coalition’s voluntary scheme that gives incentives for farmers and landholders to reduce emissions, to be given renewed funding. | Industry sources also expect the existing Emissions Reduction Fund, which is the Coalition’s voluntary scheme that gives incentives for farmers and landholders to reduce emissions, to be given renewed funding. |
| A range of groups, from the business lobby to environmentalists, want the major parties to reach a bipartisan agreement on energy and climate policy and end a wretched decade of partisan argument. | A range of groups, from the business lobby to environmentalists, want the major parties to reach a bipartisan agreement on energy and climate policy and end a wretched decade of partisan argument. |
| As the government is moving to finalise its policy, Labor has increased its public overtures that it is prepared to deal with the Coalition in the event it can produce a credible policy. | As the government is moving to finalise its policy, Labor has increased its public overtures that it is prepared to deal with the Coalition in the event it can produce a credible policy. |
| But Labor has also grabbed Abbott’s public frolic to argue Malcolm Turnbull is not in charge of the Coalition’s policy formulation. | But Labor has also grabbed Abbott’s public frolic to argue Malcolm Turnbull is not in charge of the Coalition’s policy formulation. |
| Labor’s treasury spokesman, Chris Bowen, said on Tuesday Abbott’s intervention underscored the “catastrophic failure” of Turnbull “to stand up to the climate deniers in his party”. | Labor’s treasury spokesman, Chris Bowen, said on Tuesday Abbott’s intervention underscored the “catastrophic failure” of Turnbull “to stand up to the climate deniers in his party”. |
| Bowen said Abbott was “an effective handbrake on the elected prime minister, stopping any sensible policy progress when it comes to climate change and energy”. | Bowen said Abbott was “an effective handbrake on the elected prime minister, stopping any sensible policy progress when it comes to climate change and energy”. |
| He said Labor has not given the chief scientist the task of drafting a policy settlement for climate and energy, that request had come from the government. | He said Labor has not given the chief scientist the task of drafting a policy settlement for climate and energy, that request had come from the government. |
| “Alan Finkel has delivered a very good report which says here’s a way forward,” Bowen said. “We’ve got this remarkable circumstance with the opposition of the day willing to be bipartisan but the government can’t reach an internal partisan position. | “Alan Finkel has delivered a very good report which says here’s a way forward,” Bowen said. “We’ve got this remarkable circumstance with the opposition of the day willing to be bipartisan but the government can’t reach an internal partisan position. |
| “We can’t negotiate with a puff of smoke. | “We can’t negotiate with a puff of smoke. |
| “We need the government to have a position so that we can reach that policy certainty. We don’t have that because frankly Malcolm Turnbull is just not up to it.” | “We need the government to have a position so that we can reach that policy certainty. We don’t have that because frankly Malcolm Turnbull is just not up to it.” |
| Tony Abbott | Tony Abbott |
| Climate change | Climate change |
| (Environment) | (Environment) |
| Climate change | Climate change |
| (Science) | (Science) |
| Labor party | Labor party |
| Liberal party | Liberal party |
| Tanya Plibersek | Tanya Plibersek |
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