Peter Gutwein,Premier and Minister for Climate Change
Tasmania is a leader in climate change and we have achieved our net zero emissions target in six of the last seven years and also the last five years in a row.
The four-yearly statutory independent review of the Act and our target is well underway, and we are developing Tasmania's next whole-of-government climate change action plan.
Over 250 Tasmanians, community, research and industry organisations participated in consultation earlier this year and I want to thank all who took part.
Today I am releasing the "What We Heard" Report and the Youth Consultation Report which summarises the feedback on our next climate action plan.
A key message from Tasmanians, is that our existing target of net zero emissions by 2050 – the same as a number of our mainland peers – could be more ambitious, given our emissions reduction performance.
Many of the more than 250 individuals and organisations that the Independent Review heard from proposed a range of targets from maintaining net zero emissions including from now to 2030, 2035 or 2040. However I have been very clear that any target must be based in both science and economics, which is why the Government commissioned economic analysis which it is currently considering on what a more ambitious target could look like, and its impact on our economy and jobs.
Importantly, the analysis shows that more ambitious targets, are both achievable and credible, and continue to grow our economy and create more jobs, over and above business as usual.
The Government is sensibly working through this and consulting further, with a view to releasing the review of the Act, the new target, and our new action plan, later this year, as we work to secure our future.
Also today, I am releasing the final Report Card for Climate Action 21, our first climate action plan, which concluded earlier this year and demonstrates that the vast majority of actions have been completed or are being progressed.
All reports are available at: www.climatechange.tas.gov.au
