The Australian Conservation Foundation gives Labor a better 56% and rates the Greens a near perfect 99%

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The Coalition has rated a miserable 4/100 on the Australian Conservation Foundation’s climate change policy scorecard.

The scorecard, released on Monday ahead of the 18 May election, finds that Labor rates better on 56% but is held back by “fairly weak” policies on stopping the burning of coal and an “unclear” position on the Adani Carmichael coalmine.

The Greens rated a near perfect 99%, with “very good” policies in all areas including ramping up renewables and protecting natural habitats including reefs, rivers and forests. The ratings are based on a comparison across 50 policy measures.

The ACF chief executive, Kelly O’Shanassy, said stopping climate change and protecting nature “are top issues for Australians at this election, according to numerous opinion polls and the ABC’s vote compass”.

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“Australians are already being hurt by climate damage and they want to be represented by politicians who take the issue seriously and will act with urgency.”

The ACF rated the Liberal-National Coalition “very poor” on renewable energy, noting it has made “piecemeal promises for pumped hydro storage” but has no plan to lift renewable energy above 23%.

The Coalition started 2019 by trying to bolster its climate change credentials with a $2bn cash injection to the emissions reduction fund but has resorted to scare campaigns against Labor’s policy, labelling it a Trojan horse for a carbon tax and falsely claiming the opposition would tax petrol cars.

The ACF labelled the renamed climate solutions fund “grossly inadequate” and said the Coalition “actually support burning more coal, making climate change even worse”.

O’Shanassy said the emissions reduction fund “has not curbed Australia’s climate pollution”.

“For the Coalition to again offer this ineffective policy as its main plan to tackle climate change shows a disregard for farmers, survivors of natural disasters fuelled by global warming and the next generation of Australians.”

The ACF concluded Labor has “fairly good” policies on renewables, including a 50% renewable target, but the Greens were “very good” with a 100% renewables pledge and plan to reach net zero climate pollution by 2040.

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The ACF also rated the Greens higher on stopping coal, noting the minor party has pledged to stop the Adani mine but Labor has “made no commitment as to what they will do about Adani’s mine if elected”.

Last week Bill Shorten was questioned repeatedly about whether Labor will review Adani’s approvals if it wins government. Shorten replied Labor has “no plans” to do so, but has not definitively ruled it out.

Labor has promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% using the framework of Malcolm Turnbull’s national energy guarantee and a revamped safeguards mechanism to limit pollution from heavy industry.

The Greens have promised stronger environmental regulators and demanded greater emissions reduction ambition from Labor, but been rebuffed by Bill Shorten who has ruled out negotiating a new policy with the Greens.

The ACF concluded the Greens policies to protect nature were “very good” because it wants to end deforestation, create an independent science-based watchdog and significantly increase funding for habitat and species protection.

While Labor has promised a federal Environment Protection Agency, the ACF said its plan for new nature laws “lacks detail” and the party has not set aside sufficient funding for nature restoration or wildlife recovery.

Many minor parties snubbed the survey, with One Nation, the United Australia Party, Katter’s Australia Party, the Liberal Democrats, Centre Alliance, Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party and the independent for Wentworth Kerryn Phelps not responding.

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Independents Zali Steggall and Oliver Yates – who are taking on Tony Abbott in Warringah and the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, in Kooyong – both provided responses supporting strong climate policies, including opposing the Adani mine.

Yates called for coal-fired power stations to be “rapidly” phased out to keep global warming to 2C or less, while Steggall called for an orderly transition.

In addition to the scorecard, the ACF is campaigning in marginal seats in “middle-Australia” including Chisholm and McNamara in Melbourne and Bonner in Queensland.

O’Shanassy said as a result of campaign activities 91,000 voters have pledged to make climate change a key priority when they vote, although the ACF campaign does not directly advocate a vote for any particular party.