The concepts of politics, policy development, power and governing can be understood by analysing climate change policies in Australia. Australia’s climate change policies are developed to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and meet the emissions targets under the Paris agreement, which is a global response to climate change by limiting and reducing global temperature (DISER 2021).
The use of politics in this process is essential to attempt to find an agreement on a conflict, which involves different actors and will continuously change over time. Australia has a parliamentary monarchy as a political system, which is represented by different political parties in parliament, with the majority party being the government; this is considered state centred politics (Ch’ng 2021). Each of these parties have their own views on climate change, for example as stated by the Climate Council in 2015, the main political parties each had various targets for emissions reductions. The LNP’s target was 26-28% by 2030, ALP’s target was 45% by 2030 and the Greens’ target was 62-83% by 2030 with a goal to reach net zero emissions by 2040 (Climate Council 2019, p. 3). However, state centred politics are not the only actor involved, civil centred politics extends to public and civil actors, such as community groups, lobby groups, unions, workers and churches (Ch’ng 2021). The Citizens’ Climate Lobby Australia is an example of a civil actor in climate change acting as an advocacy community group that lobbies for solutions to climate change through democracy (Citizens’ Climate Lobby Australia 2021). Politics is combination of the above through actors, arguments and objectives, contexts and outcomes.
Within politics, we have policies which provide a method to reaching an outcome such as climate change. Considine (1953, p.3). states as a standard view that ‘a public policy is an action which employs governmental authority to commit resources in support of a preferred value’. As an example of this standard view of policy, in 2015 the Australian government first committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28% below 2005 by 2030, as part of the Paris agreement (DISER 2021). However, in a broader view Considine (1953, p.4) presents an alternative definition of policy as ‘the continuing work done by groups of policy actors who use available public institutions to articulate and express the things they value’. As climate change is enormous global issue with many influences, actors, opinions and evolving circumstances, this broader view of policy seems more fitting. For example, Australia has maintained their Paris agreement targets, however following a review in 2020 policies were introduced with a technology focused approach to reduce emissions (DISER 2021) after it was understood the 2030 targets would be challenging and that two-thirds of $2.5 billion Emissions Reduction Fund has already been spent (Hanna 2021). Therefore, the overall objective of emissions reduction has remained, however the approach and policies to achieve that have been reformed and introduced over time.
To further understand Australia’s climate change policy and relationship between politics we can apply Considine’s concept of political economy as part of an overall policy system. Considine states there is four dimensions within each political economy including provision, association, intervention and organisation (Considine, 1953). Using specific examples withing the climate change policy we can understand these dimensions. Provision is the relationships between producers and consumers, which can be seen in the Victorian Energy Upgrades program that provides discounted supply and installation of LED light globes by private contractors in households to reduce energy costs and consumption (Victorian energy saver 2021). Association is the links within each provider and user group, the Climate Change Authority established in 2012 can be used an example. This independent statutory authority provided the government with rigorous independent advice to assist with developing climate change policies focused on reducing emissions (Hanna 2021). Intervention is the roles of public agencies to impose laws and shift resources to change behaviours, such as Australia’s investment into new technologies to reduce emissions. The government recently committed $16.5 million in grants to build electric vehicle charging stations to encourage consumers and businesses to transition to electric vehicles (DISER 2021). Organisation refers to the logic of action, whether this is market based or bureaucracies-based. Australia’s climate change policies are mostly market based, as they are designed to reduce emissions while at the same time increase energy productivity and encourage the uptake of renewable energy through new technology and industries (DISER 2021).
In order to achieve the outcome of the climate change policy, we need to mobilise the people through governing, which Rose describes as “To govern is not to crush the persons or processes governed, or to dominate them, but to mobilize them toward some ends” (2005, p.151). Australia’s technology investment roadmap aims at accelerating the development and commercialisation of low emissions technologies (DISER 2021). As this is a large plan or roadmap involving many stakeholders working towards a 2030 target, the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources created an simplified video using graphics in 2020 to explain the project and mobilise people, targeted at businesses, industry and investors, the video makes the assumption that these particular groups will be more profit driven and against a taxation model as well as using specific language, such as “together” to create a sense of personal responsibility (2021).
It could appear that only the government or the elite hold the power to create or change policy. Following the 2013 Australian federal election, Prime Minister Tony Abbott repealed the Carbon Tax introduced by the previous government by Julia Gillard (Talberg 2016). This is an example of a shift in power between politicians, political parties and governments even though the targets in the Paris Agreement were still maintained, therefore it’s the policies that make the change not just the government in power. Further to this idea of power, Michel Foucault states that ‘power is something exercised within interactions not something that a person can acquire or hold on to’ (1994, p. 128). Therefore, it is the action of doing that creates power relations, which means all citizens can be involved through their actions. In September 2019, one of the largest protest events in Australia’s history took place across the country calling for the government to commit to stricter policies on climate change (ABC news 2019). These protests were part of a global movement of citizens and businesses pressuring governments to commit further to climate change and emission reductions. We can see the interaction of politics, policy, governing and power within the Climate Change Policy of Australia as a relationship that continuously evolves and is affected by all the actors involved.
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References:
ABC News 2019, ‘Global climate strike sees ‘hundreds of thousands’ of Australians rally across the country’, ABC News, 21 September, viewed 22 March <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-20/school-strike-for-climate-draws-thousands-to-australian-rallies/11531612>.
Ch’ng, H 2021, ‘Overview of the course; what is politics?’, lecture notes, COMM2402_2110_2969_AUSCY, RMIT University, viewed 4 of March 2021 <https://rmit.instructure.com/courses/81729/pages/week-1-lecture-recording-slash-slides?module_item_id=3010513>.
Citizens’ Climate Lobby Australia 2021, ‘Our solution to climate change? Democracy’, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Australia, viewed 22 March 2021, <https://au.citizensclimatelobby.org>.
Climate Council 2019, ‘Policies of major Australian political parties’, Climate Council Australia, viewed 22 March 2021, <https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/climate-policies-of-major-australian-political-parties-v2.pdf>.
Considine, M 1953, Public policy: a critical approach, Macmillan Education Australia, South Melbourne, Australia.
Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER) 2021, ‘Australia’s climate change strategies’, Australian Government, viewed 22 March 2021 <https://www.industry.gov.au/policies-and-initiatives/australias-climate-change-strategies>
Foucault, M 1994, ‘Omnes et Singulatum: Towards a Criticism of Political Reason’, in S. M. McMurrin ed., The Tanner Lectures on Human Values: Volume 2, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Hanna, E 2021, ‘Climate change—reducing Australia’s emissions’, Parliament of Australia, viewed 22 March 2021, <https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook45p/EmissionsReduction>.
Rose, N 2005, ‘Government’, in T. Bennett, L. Grossberg, M. Morris eds., New Keywords: A Revised Vocabulary of Culture and Society, Oxford, Blackwell.
Talberg, A, Workman, A 2016, ‘Timeline: Australia’s climate policy’, The conversation, 23 June, viewed 22 March 2021, <https://theconversation.com/timeline-australias-climate-policy-59984>
Victorian energy saver 2021, ‘Save Energy and Money‘, Environment, Land, Water and Planning Victoria State Government, viewed 22 March 2021, <https://www.victorianenergysaver.vic.gov.au/save-energy-and-money/victorian-energy-upgrades/save-with-these-energy-efficient-products/lighting>.
