Out on a limb

By all estimates, the success of the federal Labor government in securing support for an effective climate safeguards agreement has left the NT ALP out on a limb.

Twelve months ago, only weeks before the federal election, Territory Labor spent parliamentary time celebrating how neatly their agenda dove-tailed into Morrison's "gas-fired recovery".

Now they're left stranded, alongside those who backed their (wildly) ambitious sloganeering of a fossil-fueled $40b economy.

Previous parliaments imagined an easy path to economic independence, by simply saying yes to the next big fossil fuel project to come along. Territory Labor’s ‘boundless possible’ approach, shirking a 2030 emissions target, aimed to hold the gate open to a greedy resource grab before allowing the reality of net-zero to dawn on the Territory.

Now, requirements to fully offset all domestic emissions of new fossil fuel projects up front will likely render those pending projects unviable.

The new path, of actively planning an economy to suit the needs of people who live in the Territory, is more challenging, but entirely achievable. A win for the climate needn’t be a loss for the NT economy.

The days of fossil fuels were already numbered, and it is in our favour to pivot sooner rather than later.