Australia's emissions cut target 'at or near bottom' of comparable countries

Climate Change Authority chairman Bernie Fraser says 'more ambitious targets than those adopted by the government can be achieved at modest costs'

The independent Climate Change Authority has shot down key parts of Tony Abbott's new environmental message, saying the government's new target is not "in the middle of the pack" of similar countries but rather "at or near the bottom", that the $600bn price tag the government attributes to Labor's target is "wrong" and its antagonism to emissions trading schemes is also misguided.

Related: Tony Abbott defends 2030 emissions target criticised as 'pathetically' low