Jay Weatherill says he will discusss emissions trading with premiers before meeting with prime minister

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

States could go it alone on a carbon scheme for the electricity sector after the federal government ruled one out, South Australia’s premier says.

A report by the chief scientist, Alan Finkel, to be presented at Friday’s Council of Australian Governments meeting in Canberra, is expected to recommend an emissions intensity scheme.

Jay Weatherill told ABC radio on Thursday he would be pressing for states to team up on their own scheme “in the absence of national leadership”.

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Weatherill would be discussing the idea with his counterparts before Friday’s formal meeting with the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull.

“Our first instinct is of course to seek a national scheme,” he said, but advice suggests it could be done without federal government support.

Turnbull ruled out his government imposing an emissions intensity scheme following a backbench revolt over a review of climate change policy.

He also left his environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, to explain why he said on Monday such a scheme would be looked at as part of the inquiry, only to deny mentioning it on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Frydenberg joined the prime minister in insisting one would not be introduced.

Weatherill said power prices in his state would go down if an emissions intensity scheme was adopted. “It would clean up our energy system,” he said.

Such a scheme would also encourage more base-load gas generation and increase competition.

Finkel will brief premiers and Turnbull at the Coag meeting on Friday, after being commissioned to put together a national blueprint on energy security and reliability after blackouts across South Australia.

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The deputy Liberal leader, Julie Bishop, said energy needed to be as affordable as possible for families and communities.

“The prime minister has laid out the parameters of the review and it must be in accordance with our energy policy,” she said.

Bishop insisted the emissions reduction fund was working well and Australia was meeting its global climate targets.