What Josh Frydenberg says he will ‘do better’ if he’s re-elected in Kooyong
Josh Frydenberg says the federal government needs to communicate its climate change ‘achievements’ more clearly, should it win Saturday week’s election.
He admits he’s guilty of that himself, telling Neil Mitchell climate change was undoubtedly one of the key issues in his Kooyong electorate.
“I think we need to communicate, more clearly, exactly what we have achieved in that particular area,” Mr Frydenberg said on 3AW.
“To ensure the public understand we have a practical, costed, program to deliver a lower carbon footprint, but also, at the same time, cheaper electricity and a stable grid.”
His main election opponent, Dr Monique Ryan, recently told Neil Mitchell her main priority was addressing climate change, and that she wanted to carbon emissions cut by 60 per cent by 2030.
“Now, when they came on your program, you asked them a very direct question – what is the cost of your plan to get there – and they said it was an ‘unreasonable’ question – it’s not an unreasonable question,” he said.
“One, because they don’t have a plan and two, because they haven’t had it costed.
“We, on the other hand, have committed $22 billion of taxpayer money to meet our net zero emissions target by 2050 – we are trying to leverage more than $80 billion of private sector money.
“We are investing in real projects, like small-scale wind and solar, like Snowy 2.0, like clean hydrogen projects.
“It’s a very clear contrast between a detailed plan, with costings, and a target which is nothing more than simply that, without the plan to get us there.”
Mr Frydenberg said there was no doubt the government faced an uphill battle to be re-elected.
“Yes, I would, and I’ve said that for some time that we have started an election behind and still hold that view today,” he said.
“That being said, there is over a week to go and I think the issues were crystalised in the debate last night when there was a singular focus on the economy and who’s better able to manage the economy.
“But ahead of the last election, the polls were pointing one way and the result pointed the other.”
Press PLAY below to hear the full interview
(Photo by Martin Ollman/Getty Images)