As you would expect, not everyone is happy about the 62% to 70% reduction in carbon emissions by 2035 announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday.

NSW Farmers warned that they must not shoulder the burden of meeting the Federal Government’s new emissions target.

“Before government does anything else on emissions, they need to pay their debts and recognise agriculture’s unique capacity to sequester carbon, not steal it,” NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said. 

“Farmers are apprehensive about what this target could mean for them now, after they have already made, and continue to make, huge contributions to carbon sequestration, with the crops they plant and landscapes they look after sequestering millions of tonnes of carbon out of the atmosphere.

“Alongside that, Australian farmers are driving a huge number of carbon sequestration activities and projects on-farm to hold carbon in soils or trees, both under management programs and informally. The fact is, we’re well and truly paying for everyone’s carbon sins.”

Engaging properly with the agricultural industry on sustainability was essential, Mr Martin warned, with farmers and food security already under the pump thanks to renewables and reams of green tape that had been imposed on agriculture. 

“Not only have billions in carbon credits been stolen from us, but our farm communities are bearing the brunt of the impacts in the race to renewable power,” Mr Martin said. 

“Meanwhile, we’re the only sector in the Australian economy that has substantially reduced emissions over the last 30 years, and that data’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to farmer’s contributions to sustainability over the years. 

“Farmers have been blamed unfairly and left to foot the carbon bill for too long. That must stop, so we must speak up.”

It was expected that Opposition Leader Sussan Ley was directly opposed to the target. She sent an email saying:

Labor’s new 2035 emissions reduction target is built on fantasy. 

It assumes the government achieves its 2030 target, which experts have overwhelmingly said it will not.

Labor refuses to reveal the cost of its 2035 plan, or its economic impact on households, businesses, and regional communities.

We have seen this show before. Labor announced its 2030 target, produced glossy modelling, and promised the world. 

In reality, costs went up, reliability went down, and emissions flatlined. 

Labor promised Australians a $275 cut in their power bill by 2025. 

Instead, bills are up by an average of 39 percent, or around $1,300. 

If Albanese can’t deliver his 2025 target for electricity prices, how can anyone trust his 2035 target for emissions?

Emissions are now stuck at 28% below 2005 levels. This is exactly where they were when the Coalition left office.

Australia must act on climate change. However, targets must be grounded in reality, achievable, and protect jobs and household budgets. 

Labor’s 2035 plan does none of these. The only guarantee is higher costs.

We will oppose any attempt to legislate this target.

But then, an independent, not-for-profit group, Rewiring Australia, is a fan.

Rewiring Australia has welcomed the focus on cleaner and cheaper energy, and the electrification of homes, transport and industry as the key components of the plan to reduce Australia’s emissions by 62-70 per cent by 2035. 

The Federal Government today announced the 2035 target, and sector plans to get there, including electricity generation, the built environment, transport and industry. 

The Commonwealth announced $2 billion for the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, $5 billion for Net Zero Fund to assist industries in decarbonising and $40 million to accelerate the roll out of kerbside and fast charging for EVs. 

“Electrification is the key to reaching this target, and Australians are already well on the way to achieving it through everyday decisions about household energy and transport,” Rewiring Australia CEO Francis Vierboom.  

“We know upgrading from fossil-fuelled appliances to electric ones is not only good for cutting emissions, but it’s also great for household savings. Australians don’t have to make sacrifices to help reach this target. They will actually save thousands in the long run by switching to electric appliances and power systems at home, including installing rooftop solar, a home battery and driving an electric vehicle.

“We welcome further investment towards electric transport. More EV charging on our streets is a great step. The existing EV tax break and the NVES are helping too, but with the opportunity to save millions a day on fuel imports while cutting emissions, we continue to call on the government to increase their ambition for the switchover to cleaner, cheaper, zero pollution electric vehicles. Going faster on EVs is something we need to do to hit the higher 70% end of the target range,” Francis Vierboom said. 

The Federal Government also today announced $85 million for frameworks to help households and businesses figure out how to become more energy efficient, as well as $50 million for sports clubs to reduce their emissions. 

“The Treasurer today spoke about the economic opportunity this plan presents, and our research backs that up. We can create jobs in Australia, shore up energy independence, and become more resilient to our changing climate. 

“The faster we can help households, including renters and those in social housing, electrify, the sooner we can reach this target. It’s better for the environment, and better for our hip pockets too. We look forward to working with the Federal Government to electrify everything as quickly as we can,” Francis Vierboom said. 

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen told the ABC he will have to assess whether there is a pathway to legislate the government's coming 2035 climate target. Labor would need the support of The Greens, who were after a target above 70%.

For now, it provides a lot of discussion and debate.