By Jo Clarke

March 22, 2023 - The Australian Greens party has focused on a ban on new thermal coal developments or a climate trigger in planning approvals, as key to its support for the ruling Labor Party's climate legislation.

The Greens — which hold the balance of power in the Senate — demanded that all new coal and gas projects be banned in return for their support for the safeguard mechanism, which is central to Canberra's plans to cut emissions by 43pc of 2005 levels by 2030. But minister of climate change and energy Chris Bowen ruled this out last month, and the two parties are negotiating to get the mechanism passed before federal parliament stops sitting on 31 March.

The Greens, which want more ambitious carbon reduction plans, risk derailing the 43pc target if they block the safeguard mechanism. The opposition Liberal party, which had a 26-28pc target by 2030 when they lost power in May 2022, will vote against the mechanism.

Greens party leader Adam Bandt told ABC national radio that he is open to suggestions on how to deal with new coal and gas projects, including a climate trigger, a pause on new approvals, and hiving off thermal coal from coking coal and gas for a ban.

A climate trigger would see the impact of climate change being taken into account when approving any coal or gas project. A ban on just thermal coal — while leaving the option of new coking coal and gas projects — would allow Labor to address concerns about a shortage of domestic gas on the east coast of Australia and maintain supplies of coking coal for steelmaking, which is required in many renewable power projects.

Labor is reviewing 19 coal and gas project development approvals, with greater emphasis on their potential to add to climate change. It has not approved any coal mine developments or extensions since it came to power in May 2022, and instead used a 22-year old environmental law for the first time to block a new coal mine proposal. But the environment minister Tanya Pilbersek in February approved Australian firm Santos' Surat Basin plan to drill 116 new wells to provide gas for its Gladstone LNG plant in Queensland.

The Australian Senate is due to vote on the safeguard mechanism in March and needs the support of the Greens and at least two crossbenchers for the legislation to be passed, with the opposition Liberal coalition opposed to the bill.