Australia’s ability to simultaneously claim that it is acting on climate change while also subsidising and approving major new fossil fuel projects, stems from the way successive Australian Governments have been able to focus public and international attention on emissions reduction targets that are arbitrary and poorly defined. This paper highlights some of the more obvious problems with Australia’s target setting.

The paper suggests that these targets place no obligation on current governments to act – the hard work can be done by some future Australian Government. The announcement of a 2035 target of between 62% and 70% has, as intended, generated significant political debate about a goal ten years hence, and ensured that there is little scrutiny of Australia’s lack of climate action in the present.

Reversing any of the following policy positions would have far more impact on emissions in the short to medium term than setting a particular percentage target in 2035, but they have been almost entirely overlooked in recent climate policy debate.

• Subsidies for major fossil fuel users, particularly the Fuel Tax Credit Scheme, and mainly benefits the mining industry
• Approvals for new gas and coal mines
• Subsidising large luxury utility vehicle and sport utility vehicles (SUVs)
• Building new gas-fired power stations like the ‘Hunter Power Project’ at Kurri Kurri in the NSW Hunter Valley.