Media Release

28 February 2020

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In an extraordinary development in the NSW Legislative Council late last night, Liberal and National party MLC’s – including Ministers in the Berejiklian Government – voted against the Premier’s own policy of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Net zero emissions by 2050 is the policy goal of each State and Territory in Australia.

The vote occurred during debate on a Green party motion on banning future coal and gas projects. The Labor Opposition moved an amendment to this, removing the proposed ban and instead focused on tackling the causes and consequences of a changing climate and committing the State to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The Government and cross bench parties voted against Labor’s motion.

Labor Leader in the Legislative Council and Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Adam Searle MLC said the position of the Berejiklian Government was extraordinary and disappointing.

“All parties must work to achieving a majority in the community for tackling climate change and ensuring the State achieves net zero emissions by 2050. For the Ministers and MLCs in the Berejiklian Government to vote against the Premier’s own policy, a policy the Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean says he supports, was unprecedented” — Adam Searle MLC, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy

“The recent unprecedented bushfires tells us that practical and resolute policy action is needed now. It is just not good enough to play politics with the issue of climate change.

“The Premier and her Minister must explain why the Government did not vote in the Parliament to support the policy they claim to support. Or has the Deputy Premier now just hijacked the whole of the Berejiklian Government on this issue?”