Premier Mark McGowan has warned that States such as WA could go it alone on climate policy unless the Morrison Government comes up with a workable national approach to reducing greenhouse gasses and supply certainty to investors.

The warning came after the Premier pushed back at suggestions the election had handed the Coalition vindication of its climate policies, saying Prime Minister Scott Morrison risked missing the public mood for real action.

Speaking at an oil and gas conference in Brisbane this week, Mr McGowan said he would not rule out the idea of States like WA adopting their own climate policies if the Federal Government looked likely to fall short of meeting international targets agreed in Paris three years ago.

The Coalition went to the election promising to reduce Australia’s emissions by between 26 and 28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, a level most experts judged as less than required under the Paris agreement.

Federal Labor adopted a 45 per cent cut over the same period.

Camera Icon How The West Australian reported the EPA proposal.

Yesterday, the Premier said the Coalition Government appeared to have no appetite to tackle the issue. “This is why the Eastern States energy market is a basket case,” he said.

“Given the Commonwealth has abrogated its responsibility in this area, the State Government’s number one priority is to strengthen the economy and create jobs, and this means providing certainty to industry.”

The State Government launched a 12-month effort in December to develop a new climate policy to replace a policy released in 2012 when there was a national carbon price.

Mr McGowan said the Government was consulting with industry to determine what it needed to provide certainty.

“We are absolutely determined to support job-creating LNG projects like Browse and Scarborough,” he said. ‘We won’t stand by and allow the Federal Government to wreak havoc in our State, causing uncertainty and WA job losses.”

The Government climate policy is separate to carbon emission guidelines that the Environmental Protection Authority is developing.

In March, the EPA issued guidance that it would recommend that all new large projects offset all their carbon emissions.

In was withdrawn a week later after LNG giant Woodside led an industry backlash.