A group of Labor, Greens and Independent federal MPs have called on the Morrison government to address the severe lack of transparency around the its economic response to Covid-19, as it looks set to embrace the fossil fuel industry, while ignoring the opportunities in a green recovery.

The concerns about the lack of transparency in both its Covid-19 economic response and the development of climate policy were all expressed by Labor climate spokesperson Mark Butler, Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt and Independent MP Zali Steggall all joined an online panel hosted by the Carbon Market Institute on Friday.

All three of the parliamentarians said that the disruption caused by Covid-19 created an opportunity for Australia to embrace green technologies as part of its stimulus response to the growing economic crisis, which could drive substantial economic opportunities in clean energy and clean industry.

However, Labor climate and energy spokesperson Mark Butler said that the Morrison government’s push into a ‘gas-led’ recovery made little sense given the industry’s poor track record of supporting the Australian economy.

“What has happened to the Eastern state’s gas market will provide rich material for many, PhDs over the coming years. It really is one of the most abject failures of public policy over the last 20 years,” Butler said.

“So the idea that we would go back for more, and ground economic recovery on a fossil fuel that is the subject of a fundamentally dysfunctional market, where prices have tripled and supply for domestic businesses and households is scarce, doesn’t have much attraction to me.”

Read the full article on the Renew Economy website, featuring commentary by Prof Frank Jotzo