The Australian government has “no plans” to abandon its Renewable Energy Target (RET), according to Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg.

He was responding to reports in the media that Liberal-National Coalition members of parliament (such as former Prime Minister Tony Abbott) have been calling for the measure to be scrapped.

“The target of 33,000GWhr of energy from renewable energy by 2020 — about 23.5% of the country’s consumption — is a challenge, but a balanced one,” he said.

The Australian Labor Party is pushing for a 50% target, which Mr Frydenberg has dismissed as unrealistic, adding that the current RET is already costing households over 63 Australian dollars per year.

In a statement, Electrical Trades Union national policy officer Lance McCallum warned the government not to present renewables as “unstable, expensive and risky”.

He referred to a US report published last month that claimed an RET would create at least 4.7 million jobs.

Mr McCallum said: “The evidence shows very clearly that RETs are economically positive, environmentally beneficial, deliver valuable health savings and are a vital step on the path we must walk to a ‘clean-energy’ future.”