NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean this week criticised Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s emissions plan – saying he should act more like former US President John F Kennedy.
Mr Kean, who hangs a picture of the assassinated Democratic Party president in his office, described the prime minister’s environmental agenda as “ridiculous”.
- NSW Environment Minister describes PM's emissions plan as 'ridiculous'.
- Says government should commit to zero emissions regardless of consequences.
- PM vows never to sacrifice jobs nor increase power prices.
He called on Mr Morrison to commit Australia to a net zero 2050 emissions target regardless of economic ramifications.
“Kennedy didn’t know how to get to the moon when he set the target of when to get there,” Mr Kean told a community meeting in Sydney this week.
“People say you shouldn’t commit to net zero emissions unless you know how to get there, well I say that’s ridiculous,” Mr Kean said.
“The roadmap is all about putting the policy settings in place to encourage the private sector to build infrastructure that we need to replace the existing infrastructure.
“Let’s set the goal — and I have every confidence in the Australian people, our industry and their enterprising nature to be able to hit that goal — and ensure Australia remains not only a great place to live but becomes an energy and economic superpower.”
Mr Kean’s criticism of the prime minister followed Mr Morrison’s National Press Club address on Monday when he outlined a highly applauded approach to reducing emissions – without harming Australia’s economy and jobs.
“Our goal is to reach net zero emissions as soon as possible, and preferably by 2050,” PM Morrison said in Canberra.
He was quick to add, however, that this would be achieved by technology advancements and without imposing higher electricity prices and taxes.
“Now is the time to focus on how we’re going to get there,” he said.
ACCUSED
Mr Morrison further clarified his position during Parliamentary Question Time on Tuesday.
“I will never put a cost on Australians for getting to net zero,” he said.
The prime minister also accused The Greens of not being interested in how to reduce emissions.
“I’m interested in the how,” he told parliament. “I’m interested how we get to net zero as soon as possible and preferably by 2050.
“I’m interested in how because if you don’t get there by technology, you get there by taxes.
“I see us getting to net zero by transformational technology that keeps the jobs in our regions, that keeps the jobs in our heavy industry – that provides a future for all of those workers particularly across regional Australia.
“That’s what we’re investing in.”
Mr Kean has repeatedly questioned Mr Morrison’s middle-ground approach to emissions reduction – earning himself a prime ministerial back-hander after falsely claiming last year that the Federal Government was facing a party room revolt over climate policy.
In his response at the time, the PM didn’t mince his words. “I don’t know what he’s talking about,” he told Nine’s Today show. “I think Matt should focus on [fire] hazard reduction, I’ll focus on emissions reduction.”
Mr Morrison also told ABC Radio: “Matt Kean doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He doesn’t know what’s going on in the federal cabinet. Most of the federal cabinet wouldn’t even know who Matt Kean was.” PC
Great to see healthy debate but it would be more professional to do it at designated meetings and present the facts in an orderly fashion.
Bottom line – if we want people to vote for us we need to show them both sides of the coin with nothing up our sleeve.
Inasmuch as some surveys show that 70% of people are highly concerned about their future and want a clean planet then isn’t it time we took our heads out of the bucket and found a way.
Nothing wrong with some goal-setting – but let’s clean it up indoors first. Please.
Yes, well we all know that Matt Kean’s an idiot, especially on climate change matters……but unfortunately he appears to have Premier Glady’s blessing similar to that enjoyed by Daryl Maguire – and look what happened with that !
Matt Kean should join with the Greens Party where he belongs. Committing to his green energy agenda for the NSW State at the cost of $32Billion is outrageous when the net effect is going to be something barely immeasurable on the level of CO2 in the atmosphere.
It is all too easy to spend money that belongs to someone else and to think Kean has been an accountant! How can he justify to those who elected him and to the rest of NSW that it is $32B well spent and there will be a return on this “investment” .
Gladys, a reshuiffle and he should be shown the back door.
‘“Kennedy didn’t know how to get to the moon […]” Mr Kean told a community meeting in Sydney this week.’
It’s widely understood that Kean wouldn’t be able to find his own arse with both hands and a torch. He epitomises everything that is wrong with today’s “Liberal” party, and his inane ranting and ill-informed comments sound a lot like a political death rattle.
Matt Kean ? Another rogue elephant.
I quote from Judith Sloan, “The Australian” December 2019:
” – – – – the vast majority of countries will not put moral purpose before their economic interests”.
That quote should be tattoed on the forehead of every Australian parliamentarian, especially Coalition/Liberal parliamentarians. On Matt Kean it should be done with a 6 inch scalpel.
I have a question for Kean: “which countries ARE putting moral purpose ahead of their economic interests ?” Because I’m damned if I know, EXCEPT one: Australia. Thanks to Kean and his mates spread across all sections and levels of Australian society.
And whilst Matt Kean injects his poisonous agenda into NSW politics, the NSW government, in which he is a cabinet member, is forging ahead with billions of dollars worth of infrastructure. Involving thousands, if not millions, of tons of concrete.
And what is one of the most energy intensive and emissions intensive industrial processes, MAKING CONCRETE.
Matt Kean. He may only be delusional, or ignorant, or stupid; but right now Australia just cannot afford to accommodate such traits.
I compliment all the too accurate Replies that precede mine. Matt Kean – get rid of him.
Yes, the ‘mates’ are the wind barons. With federal subsidies for unreliables being wound down, they sent Matt to persuade Gladys to bring in a floor price, or subsidy by another name, to underpin their otherwise non-viable investments in windmills. So the NSW taxpayers foot the bill for these technological dinosaurs, not the Australian taxpayer.
Matt Kean’s comments on Scott Morrison’s emission plan begs the question, is he getting his advice from the Blueprint Institute?
People like MK are destroying the Liberal Party values from within.
What will Matt Kean remain Minister for after he destroys the environment and our native animal population! He is apparently a proponent of E3 zoning, and an enthusiast of Bob Carr’s National Parks Plan.
Converting maintained farmland and bushland into national parks entailed build up and non clearance of fuel load. The resultant catastrophic fires were of course terrible for residents, wildlife and the environment, but the scale of these fires would have been considerably reduced by culling fuel load, which Kean apparently vehemently opposes. The earlier prototype of his E3 plan killed 173 people in bushfires in Victoria in 2009, well before last summer’s catastrophic damage. His stupidity can be measured by how many times he makes the same mistake.
National Parks are great breeding grounds for wild dogs, which destroy any native wildlife that they can access. E3 becomes a death sentence for residents, by not permitting them to defend their lands and livestock by removing fuel load from their land.
The average voter is really not that stupid, and the liberals will need to ensure that the likes of Matt Kean are not pre-selected if they want to stay in power.
JFK tried to invade Cuba so watch out NZ.
It’s a nightmare! They’re all chasing their tails!
THERE IS NO NEED FOR AUSTRALIA TO SET ITSELF THIS MASOCHISTIC, CRETINOUS ‘TARGET’. We must just make sure several new, HELE COAL-FIRED GENERATORS are built right around Australia ASAP!
Gosh how I wish KEAN and his cabal of controllers behind the scenes would go take a flying . . . .! Disappear, dematerialise, evaporate — whatever. The millions of true Conservative voters dislike his policies intensely and I can only conclude that his behind-the-scenes ‘mates’ must have considerable vested interests to push this wholly insane green agenda that would shove us right off the path to prosperity.