21 April 2021 Australia’s Clean Energy Council has called on the Morrison government to take the lead on a managed phase-out of the nation’s remaining coal-fired power plants, to avoid a disorderly transition to renewable energy and to repair Australia’s reputation as a climate laggard. In a statement on Wednesday, the CEC called on the federal Coalition to establish a task force with a mix of relevant stakeholders to consult on a timeline for the closure of Australia’s coal generation industry and the measures required to support it. And CEC said the federal government should ideally have such a coal exit plan – alongside a net zero emissions commitment – ready to present to the virtual climate summit being hosted later this week by US president Joe Biden, to prove Australia was taking meaningful action on climate change.