It reaffirms that Australia will be a fringe player in Paris, seen as marginal at best and obstructionist at worst in achieving genuine progress. Our commitment is less than Canada's, another mining-centric climate-sceptic nation.

In remaining a climate laggard, Australia continues to go against the global trend. What has become increasingly obvious recently is that the tide is coming back in on climate change action at home and abroad. A growing international community consensus for action is noticeable.

Recent research by the United States-based Pew Research Centre concluded that climate change was seen globally as the biggest international challenge. New momentum on climate leadership has been provided by the US and China. With these two great powers providing strong leadership, the prospect of substantive progress with the rest of the international community in Paris is high.

The pressure from business, civil society and the public on the Australian government to follow suit is intensifying, and the demands will only persist after this latest announcement. In late June a roundtable comprising divergent stakeholders such as the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group, the Climate Institute, the Australian Council on Social Service, the Investor Group on Climate Change, and the ACTU demanded the end of the politicking and uncertainty over climate policy and demanded Australia catch up with the rest of the world.

Australians want climate change taken much more seriously; 59 per cent of respondents to a recent Climate Institute survey agreed that the government is under-estimating the seriousness of climate change, and agree that Australia should be a world leader in finding solutions.