The Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) says the State Government's Climate Bill has gone from bad to worse, with news this morning that it wants to remove interim emissions reduction targets from new drafts of the Bill.
CCWA Executive Director Matt Roberts said that proper climate ambition was needed at every level of government. He said at the very least the State Government should adopt the Federal Government aligned targets – even though they are not adequate for the action needed. "WA is bound by the federal targets, but still failing to meet them,” Mr Roberts said.
“Right now, WA is the only state without any legislated interim emissions reduction target, or renewable energy target, and we’re the only state with increasing rates of climate pollution since 2005.
“In April the Federal Government released the latest data on nationwide emissions revealing that in 2024, WA’s emissions had risen for the third consecutive year, reaching 90.94 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, an increase of 2% from the previous year.
“We are going backwards on emissions, and the slow erosion of the government’s ambition that we have seen over this term of this government will lock that in. Emissions reduction is the essential part of any plan to combat climate change – it is also key to meeting national and international agreements on climate action.
“In 2026 we have already seen the State Government extend funding support for Griffin Coal, and the state’s energy providers announce plans for at least two new gas power plants. If we are installing new fossil gas power in 2027 and 2028 in WA, then we are not decarbonising, we are failing on the transition.
“In 2024 the State Government gutted out Greenhouse Gas Environmental Factor Guidelines, deferring any emissions reduction strategies to the Safeguard Mechanism. It is astounding that they would do this without adopting the Federal Government’s emissions reduction targets.
“On one hand the State is saying the federal laws are good enough for WA and on the other hand they are saying the rules don’t apply to WA as we continue to increase our emissions.
“The government continues to approve new gas projects like the North West Shelf, and expansions at existing sites like Gorgon. Scarborough is expected to come online in 2026 – this revelation about emissions targets highlights that the government has made a series of decisions that lock in emissions for WA for longer.
“A State Government-funded report was leaked last year warning that Australian gas could crowd out renewables in Asia and delay the energy transition. That’s not just a risk to Asia, that’s exactly what we’re experiencing right here in Australia.”
“News that this Bill has replaced emissions reduction ambition with carbon capture and storage ambition signals an over reliance on the failing technology. Gas proponents are using carbon dumping proposals to offset proposed new emissions.
“Environment groups argue this technology, which has failed to ever deliver emissions storage targets, should only be reserved for hard to abate emissions already locked into our energy system, not to enable new emissions.
“Chevron’s Gorgon has been heralded as the industry’s flagship carbon dumping project but has only stored around one third of expected emissions to date and remains plagued with issues. Scrapping emissions reductions and legislating carbon storage targets when the technology is already proving a failure is not a solution.
“The global fuel crisis is sparking some jurisdictions to re-double efforts to get off fossil fuels – which is what we should be seeing from all levels of government in Australia.
“Here in WA, the community and industry are calling for a proper roadmap to get us to our net zero 2050 commitment.
“The state and federal elections have shown that voters want climate action. The Cook Government has the opportunity to raise ambition, commit to 2030 emissions reduction, renewable energy targets, and support a fast, fair, and nature-friendly energy transition.
“West Australians deserve clean and affordable energy that supports climate, nature, and communities.”
ENDS