Climate changing, but focus on power price cut

CANBERRA: Prime Minister Scott Morrison knows the ‘‘climate is changing’’, but has rejected its relevance in the debate to ease the effects of drought.

‘‘Climate is changing, everybody knows that,’’ he said in drought-stricken regional Queensland yesterday.

Tackling drought: Scott Morrison with sheep
and cattle graziers Stephen and Annabel Tully
and National Drought Coordinator Major-General
Stephen Day at the Tully property in Quilpie in
 south-west Queensland yesterday.

‘‘I’m interested in getting people’s electricity prices down and I’m not terribly interested in engaging in those sorts of (climate) debates at this point.’’

Mr Morrison said engaging in climate discussions would not help farmers fill out forms to seek government assistance.

The energy and environment portfolios, which used to have the same minister, have been severed under Mr Morrison’s newly unveiled ministry.

Angus Taylor is energy minister, while Melissa Price has been handed the environment portfolio.

The prime minister lauded Mr Taylor as the ‘‘minister for getting electricity prices down’’ as he announced his cabinet on Sunday.

Mr Morrison said the challenge for the energy sector was to ensure reliable power and for the market to drive prices down.

The government’s proposed National Energy Guarantee was shelved by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull when threats to his leadership were ramping up.

The guarantee brought climate and energy policy together and sought to legislate an emissions reduction target pledged by Australia under the Paris agreement.

Labor Senator Murray Watt said the new energy minister was a vocal opponent of the policy.

‘‘I have been wondering whether Scott Morrison has almost done this as a bit of a ‘get square’ with the conservative wing,’’ he told Sky News yesterday.

‘‘He’s basically said: ‘Well you break it, you own it,’ by putting one of their people in charge of it’.’’

Story from The Shepparton News - “Climate changing, but focus on power price cut.”

(We may have changed our government’s leadership (from the PM down), but we haven’t changed its attitude to the most pressing problem that has ever faced Australians, and the world. Nationally, we are still in climate denial mode, This has sadly become a conversation of power prices and not one about reducing our carbon dioxide emissions - Robert McLean)