Morrison stands by Paris climate targets

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is standing by the Paris Agreement, despite growing calls to abandon the climate change targets.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stood by the Paris climate targets. (AAP)

Scott Morrison is digging in behind the Paris climate change targets, despite calls for Australia to walk away from the global accord.

During his first interview with Sydney radio host Alan Jones, who is no fan of the Paris Agreement, the newly-minted prime minister was repeatedly quizzed about whether he would abandon the international deal.

"I'm not convinced changing it makes any difference one way or the other - that's the bottom line," Mr Morrison told 2GB radio on Monday.

Australia met its first round of Paris targets at a canter and the next was out to 2030, he said.

"Now, that discussion isn't going to change anybody's electricity prices, and that's what I'm focused on," Mr Morrison said.

"I'm not a climate warrior one way or the other. What I'm about is getting people's electricity prices down."

Mr Morrison said he would not do as Labor proposed and impose a 45 per cent emissions reductions target.

"My measure is not looking to get any sort of cheer squad jumping up and down for me when it comes to Paris one way or the other," he said.

"I'm looking for the cheer squad of mums and dads and pensioners and others seeing their electricity prices go down."

Mr Morrison said he was focused on building more sources of dispatchable power - generation from coal, gas, batteries and pumped hydro - that can be controlled to balance supply and demand.

"Could you stop using the word dispatchable? Out there they don't understand it," Jones said.

"Well, real power, okay? Real, fair dinkum power," the prime minister fired back.

"Reliable, keeps the lights on, all of that. That's what I'm about, I'm about fair dinkum power."


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Source: AAP



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