Coalition climate plan 'assumes emissions trading', says government modeller

The government is campaigning against Labor's emissions trading scheme but its own Direct Action will only work with large funding increases or as an ETS

Modelling hailed by the Liberal party as proof its Direct Action plan could meet Australia's long-term climate promises in fact assumes the Coalition would turn its policy into a type of emissions trading scheme, according to the authors.

The environment minister, Greg Hunt, released the modelling, by the Energetics consulting firm, just days before the election was called and told the Australian newspaper it was proof that critics of the government's policy - who say it has no hope of reaching Australia's target without changes - were totally wrong.