The Australian Conservation Foundation congratulates incoming Premier David Crisafulli but urges the LNP to stay the course on climate and energy targets and nature protection reforms. 

ACF welcomes incoming Premier David Crisafulli’s commitment to deliver the 75% by 2035 emissions reduction target and his courage in standing up to Peter Dutton and his nuclear energy fantasy. 

But while the LNP voted in support of Labor’s climate targets, the leading environment advocacy group is concerned the party rejected Labor’s plan to deliver them. ACF urges the Crisafulli government to develop a credible plan to keep climate action on track.  

Quotes attributable to ACF CEO Kelly O’Shanassy: 

“Queensland is Australia’s most disaster-prone state – droughts, fires, floods and the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef. A brighter future for Queensland depends on a government that is ambitious on tackling climate change.  

“In this most critical decade for climate action, Premier Crisafulli now has a responsibility to continue the task of decarbonising the state and protecting Queenslanders, their jobs and their families from climate-fuelled extreme weather disasters.  

“We call on the Crisafulli government to honour Queensland’s renewable energy targets. And to honour the government’s commitment to nominate Cape York Peninsula’s natural and cultural values for World Heritage status, keeping the Channel Country free from destructive gas fracking. It is also critical that this new government upholds the ban on uranium mining.  

“The Palaszczuk and Miles Labor governments leave a commendable legacy when it comes to transitioning Queensland’s energy system from coal to renewables, committing to an ambitious and science aligned 75% by 2035 emissions reduction target, strong targets for renewable energy and a clear plan to get there, while retaining high levels of public ownership in the energy system.  

“They deserve recognition for taking Queensland from laggard to leader when it comes to the energy transition, though history will mark them down for a lack of action to tackle tree clearing and polluting coal and gas exports.  

“Queenslanders have embraced the energy transition, with world leading take up of rooftop solar, bringing electricity bills and emissions down for Queensland families and business, complementing an ambitious build of large-scale wind and solar that allows earlier closure of the state’s fleet of polluting coal plants. The Crisafulli Government has a duty to embrace this momentum and see it through.”