The Australian Federal Government’s Net-Zero Betrayal. By Cian Hussey.

With the Liberal-National Coalition government about to officially sign onto a 2050 net-zero emissions target, many Australians are wondering what the point of the 2019 election was.

At the so-called “climate election,” the Coalition proposed maintaining their existing policy of a 26 percent reduction on 2005 levels by 2030. Labor proposed more significant reductions in emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Coalition won an unlikely third term after it told mainstream Australians it would prioritise their jobs and livelihoods ahead of any further emissions reduction efforts.

From 2019

But now, the Coalition is on the cusp of adopting Labor’s policy, one that Prime Minister Scott Morrison described before the election as “reckless.”

This is further evidence that debate in Australia’s democracy is taking place within what seems to be an ever-receding set of boundaries that are vigorously policed by the elites and the political class.

On all the big issues facing Australia’s future, from climate policy and housing affordability to mass migration, many mainstream Australians feel like they are being denied the opportunity to fully participate in debate and have their say.

For five Federal elections in a row — back to the election where Gillard lied and Oakeshott and Windsor betrayed their voters and switched sides — the Australian public has voted against climate emission reduction. Yet, we got it.

Still, at least climate was an election issue. Mass migration was never even an issue; we never got to vote on that.