Bill Shorten Seeks Climate Shift With Pacific Trip As Malcolm Turnbull Soars

Bill Shorten will travel to remote Pacific islands at risk from rising sea levels in a bid to put the political focus back on climate change as he searches for ways to neutralise Malcolm Turnbull’s soaring popularity. Australia’s 2030 target to reduce emissions by 26-28 percent of 2005 levels had been set by Abbott, who was predicted to skip the climate change meeting after Labor’s carbon tax had been scrapped and the country’s renewable energy target reduced by his government, reports the Business Spectator.

The prime minister revealed to Guardian Australia on Friday that it was his “intention” to attend the United Nations climate change meeting, which his predecessor, Tony Abbott, had chose to shun.

“The Australian government is selling Australia short with their low targets and low aspirations, their knee-high ambitions for tackling climate change in Australia”, Shorten said on Sunday.

Labor’s primary vote is at 35 per cent, the Greens are down one point at 11 per cent while other minor parties and independents are also down a point to nine per cent.

Labor believes Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull copied its infrastructure policy after criticising it weeks earlier as ineffective. The issue is what policies you adopt to defeat climate change.

Mr Shorten has seen a 24-point plunge in support since Tony Abbott was unceremoniously ousted by Mr Turnbull.

Asked whether he would “go beyond” Australia s current commitments, he said: “Sure… arguably, that depends on the rest of the world”.