Minister only listens to advice when it suits him

Official advice given to Climate Change Minister James Shaw has once again been ignored, showing that he only takes advice when it suits his narrative, National’s Climate Change spokesperson Todd Muller says.

“The Climate Change Chief Executives Board advised that to give credibility and certainty, areas such as the methane target should be given to an expert group such as the Climate Change Commission. They also noted an indicative range of a 22-35 per cent methane reduction.

“The Minister chose to ignore this and included an onerous target of up to 47 per cent in the Climate Change Amendment Act Bill. As has become the norm for this Government, its work was shipped off its 250 working groups, only to be ignored.

“The Minister has also dismissed reports from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment who likewise advised a methane target much lower than what the Minister has proposed.

“I have supported James Shaw establishing independent advisory groups on climate change, but this effort becomes pointless if he only listens to advice that suits a political purpose.

“National has disagreed with the Government’s proposed agricultural methane target in the Climate Change Bill, and suggested that this matter be put to the new Climate Change Commission the Minister is establishing.

“Targets for 2050 can seem abstract, but when the economic implications are as severe as the $300 billion that has been projected in the Regulatory Impact Statement, it’s important that decisions are well thought out and backed by solid scientific reasoning.”

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