Peers and partners: how Australia compares on climate change policy

Executive Summary

This briefing paper compares what the Australian government is doing on climate change with the countries most relevant and important to Australia: allies and trading partners. The paper looks at China, the UK, South Korea, and the US. Examining what peers and partners are doing on climate policy gives a practical sense of how Australia compares with the countries most critical to its future.

Key findings:

• Major trading partners and allies are doing more on climate change policy than Australia, taking a more comprehensive and innovative approach and showing more vision
• Australia is lagging behind on policy areas such as energy efficiency, vehicle emissions and carbon pricing and is not showing leadership
• In the countries examined, climate policies have often been implemented by conservative parties
• Durable, stable climate policies tend to have bipartisan support.

Read the executive summary Read the full paper

Author

Cathy Alexander
Research Fellow
Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute