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Opposition Leader Sussan Ley declared she would apply strict "cost and credibility" tests to the Albanese government's expected 2035 emissions target announcement, warning industry estimates suggest consumers could pay over $500 billion for the new commitments.
Speaking in Melbourne ahead of the government's anticipated climate announcement, Ley expressed "incredible skepticism" about the administration's energy policies while criticizing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's failed Pacific diplomacy efforts.
"I treat what this government says about energy with incredible skepticism," Ley said. "There will be two important tests that we will apply to any announcements they make about those targets — cost and credibility."
The Opposition Leader cited industry analysis suggesting massive financial implications for Australian households and businesses from the government's climate commitments.
"We have got industry suggesting that the cost to consumers of what the government will announce will be over $500 billion. The cost to consumers," she said. "What will the cost be to households, to businesses, to manufacturing, to the energy security and future of this country?"
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Pacific Diplomacy Failures Compound Government Woes
Ley also criticized Albanese's handling of defense arrangements with Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, saying the Prime Minister treated crucial diplomatic negotiations as "photo ops" without proper preparation.
"He obviously hasn't done the homework. He hasn't secured the important relationships that he needs to deliver what he said only on Tuesday this week, that he would deliver a defense arrangement with Vanuatu and a treaty with PNG," she said.
The Opposition Leader said her party supports the proposed treaties but criticized the Prime Minister's approach to securing them.
"For the Prime Minister to treat this as a series of photo ops without the necessary diplomatic approach that you would expect from an Australian Prime Minister, is a serious issue," Ley said. "We will continue to hold the government to account."
She noted that while the Prime Minister wants to move past the diplomatic setbacks, the opposition will maintain pressure on the government's performance across multiple policy areas.
Credibility Questions Over Existing Targets
Ley questioned the government's ability to meet existing climate commitments before announcing more ambitious goals, pointing to failures on the 2030 targets.
"Credibility is also vital because we know that it is woefully impossible to meet the 2030 target, the 43 percent," she said, referring to the legislated emissions reduction target. "The Prime Minister made such a song and dance about legislating a few years ago, and that the 82 percent renewable target by 2030 is also way off track."
The Opposition Leader emphasized that declining living standards across Australia made honest cost disclosure essential for any new climate commitments.
"In a country that has living standards that are declining more rapidly than anywhere else in the developed world, people expect better from the Prime Minister when it comes to proving that it really is not going to leave them behind," she said.
Coalition's Climate Policy Framework
When asked about the Coalition's approach to emissions reduction, Ley outlined the party's energy policy principles while defending the timeline for developing detailed positions.
"Our energy policy is predicated on two fundamentals. One is that we will deliver a policy that has stable, reliable energy, that's affordable to households and businesses," she said. "And yes, that we will play our part in reducing emissions in a transparent way, in an honest way, in a way that's upfront with the Australian people."
Ley confirmed the Coalition believes Australia should reduce emissions but "not at any cost," emphasizing the need for policies that consider household and business impacts.
Regarding the timeline for announcing the Coalition's net zero position, Ley said policy development processes established since she became leader four months ago were progressing without artificial deadlines.
"We're taking the time to get that right, as I said we would. It's not going to be pinned down on timelines necessarily," she said, noting that Dan Tehan was currently in the United States examining nuclear energy developments.
Environmental Approvals Crisis
The Opposition Leader also criticized the government's handling of environmental approvals, saying delays were undermining investment confidence and economic growth.
"This government has got environmental approvals all wrong and some projects are taking as long as 500 days," Ley said. "What that means is that investor certainty is declining and if you don't have investment, you don't have capital, you don't have jobs, you don't have growth."
She linked environmental approval delays to broader economic problems, arguing the government's approach was contributing to Australia's flatlining economy.
Ley expressed willingness to discuss Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act reforms with the government, noting previous unsuccessful attempts at cooperation when the Coalition was in power.
"We will always do what is in the national interest. But we also know that they need to act to make sure that the Department of Environment and their approvals process right now meets its statutory deadlines," she said.
Party Unity and Urban Voter Concerns
When questioned about internal Coalition disagreements on climate policy and concerns about winning urban voters, Ley defended her team's diversity of views as valuable input for policy development.
"My team, I am very proud of every single member, and what they bring to the conversations that I have described that we are having around policy, around energy policy, about other areas of policy, is their passions and their own lived experience," she said.
She emphasized party unity despite public differences on climate issues among Coalition members.
"We are absolutely united in our determination to serve the Australian people, to fight for what's best and to act in the national interest," Ley said, describing internal conversations as productive for policy development.
National Security and Technology Concerns
Ley also addressed questions about TikTok following U.S. moves to force Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its American operations, noting national security implications.
"I note the actions of the US and we also know the foreign interference aspects of TikTok, which is why, for example, I don't have it on my phone," she said.
The Opposition Leader emphasized that any government negotiations or arrangements regarding TikTok should prioritize national security interests.
"It's vital that the government carries out these discussions, negotiates any arrangements with that national security interest front and center," she said.
Political Strategy and Public Trust
Throughout her remarks, Ley emphasized the importance of holding the government accountable for what she described as policy failures across multiple areas.
"It's important that what we do as an opposition is hold this government's feet to the fire, hold them to account for the energy policy train wreck that Australians are living every single day," she said.
The Opposition Leader argued that Australians facing cost-of-living pressures deserve transparency about the real-world impacts of government climate policies.
"I'm listening to what Australians say and they're telling me how expensive it is to run their households, to run their businesses, to employ more people," she said. "People know that. And we need to respect what Australians are telling us."
Ley concluded by reiterating that while targets and numbers matter, practical implications for households and businesses must be clearly explained by the government.
"Targets and numbers are all very well. But I want to know what this means in the real world, in the real economy, for businesses, for industry, for households," she said. "The government needs to be able to explain that."
The Opposition Leader's remarks set the stage for continued political pressure on the government's climate policies as Australia grapples with balancing environmental commitments and economic concerns.
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