The Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, says the ‘coalkeeper’ subsidy to ageing coal power plants will slow the overdue modernisation of the Australian energy network.

The Labor Resources Minister has called for coal-fired power stations to be brought online as Energy Ministers meet to discuss the dramatic increase in energy prices caused by Australia’s failure to reduce reliance on coal and gas.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP has announced a bold plan to expand and repurpose Snowy Hydro, the Commonwealth owned corporation, to build over 25 GW of wind, solar and energy storage over the next decade, the equivalent to Australia’s current coal generation capacity. The Greens will push for this plan in balance of power after the next election.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP says the closure announcement of Australia’s largest coal fired plant shows why Australia urgently needs a credible climate and energy plan.

Origin Energy has brought forward closure of the NSW Eraring power plant, one of the most polluting in the country, by seven years to 2025.

Despite this build up of announced coal closures before 2030, the government’s own projections that they took to Glasgow show another one to two further coal plants closing in the next eight years, which the government won’t tell us - or coal communities - about.

As Barnaby Joyce and Matt Canavan call for more coal before the ink on the Glasgow Climate Pact is even dry, the Greens have begun hitting the streets in target inner-city Liberal seats like Ryan, Brisbane, Kooyong and Higgins to unseat incumbents by reminding them that if you vote Liberal, you get Barnaby.

With the final Glasgow pact resolving that coal and gas were on the way out but the world was not on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees because 2030 pledges were too weak, the summit will be remembered as one that ScoMo helped sabotage.

But it will also heap pressure on Liberal and Labor next year to lift 2030 targets, and phase out coal and gas. 

Quotes attributable to Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP:

“Glasgow was the summit ScoMo helped sabotage, but he doesn’t get off scot free.

Scott Morrison has departed Glasgow after committing Australia to the international consortium of climate sabotage alongside Russia and Saudi Arabia.

​​In a major announcement, more than 40 countries have agreed to phase out coal-fired power, but Australia has refused to sign on, with Liberal and Labor instead wanting more coal and gas.

As global momentum grows to match commitments with the goals of the Paris agreement, Australia is running a protection racket for coal and gas through accounting tricks, “non binding targets”, interference and delay tactics.

With Energy Security Board chairman Kerry Schott’s predicting that the grid could be without coal-fired power as in the early 2030’s, the Greens will move when Parliament resumes for a legally binding thermal coal phase out by 2030, arguing that without a planned transition, workers and coal communities will suffer disruption and uncertainty.

The Greens will give notice of a ‘Quit Coal’ bill when Parliament resumes next week with a legislated timetable for phasing out of thermal coal exports by 2030. 

The Greens have slammed the Nationals’ proposed $250 billion publicly funded coal and gas bank as robbing public money to chase stranded assets for Nationals donors. 

“The Nationals are holding our country to ransom. They want a quarter of a trillion dollars to fund assets even the big banks won’t touch because they’re too dangerous, too deadly and will send anyone who lends them money broke,” Mr Bandt said.

“Barnaby Joyce is trying to lock the public into supporting coal projects no one else will touch with a ten foot pole.

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt has said that Scott Morrison’s reported intention to avoid appearing at the COP26 Glasgow Climate Summit is a dangerous abrogation of his responsibility to act on climate change and threatens to slow global progress.

“If Scott Morrison doesn’t want to lead the country on climate, he should hand the reins to someone who does,” Mr Bandt said. 

The Greens have reiterated their call for Australia to act in line with the climate science and UN call to quit coal, with an RBA report estimating the impact on the Australian economy would be as low as 0.1% of GDP.