Questions over Direct Action as Greg Hunt reveals Paris target needs industrial emissions cut

Experts doubt environment minister's assumption that 'safeguards' mechanism can deliver cuts required to meet Australia's emissions reduction target

Australia is calculating that its big industrial emitters will be forced to reduce greenhouse pollution by 200m tonnes between 2020 and 2030, an assumption experts say will require major changes to the Direct Action policy which is not designed to force cuts from existing plants.

The environment minister, Greg Hunt, has revealed the 2030 emissions reduction target Australia will take to Paris in December - a cut of between 26% and 28% of 2005 levels - is based on an assumption that the so-called "safeguards" mechanism will deliver 200m tonnes of emission reductions between 2020 and 2030, or almost a quarter of the total cuts required.