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| Bernie Fraser, chair of the Climate Change Authority, has resigned. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen / Fairfax |
It comes less than a month after Mr Fraser issued a strong rebuke to Abbott government over its justifications of its post-2020 greenhouse emissions targets.
A statement issued by the Climate Change Authority late on Tuesday said Mr Fraser, a respected former Reserve Bank governor, had quit as chair.
"The authority members thank Mr Fraser for his enormously valuable contribution to the authority's work in providing independent expert advice to the Australian government and Parliament on climate change," it said.
"Arrangements have been made to ensure the authority's work will continue uninterrupted."
No further explanation was provided. It is understood Mr Fraser had a difficult relationship with Environment Minister Greg Hunt.
Fairfax Media understands Mr Fraser announced his decision on Tuesday after an all-day meeting of the authority.
Many of his colleagues are believed to be deeply saddened by his departure. He is not believed to have quit due to personal problems such as a health issue.
A spokeswoman for the authority said Mr Fraser did not wish to comment on his resignation.
The government sought to abolish the authority last year but was blocked in the Senate.
In September last year Mr Fraser said morale at his agency had been hit hard by the government's attempt to cull it.
"It's understandably having a pretty devastating effect," he said.
He said even with some staff departures, the authority retained a "core capacity" to help the government develop a policy to restore bipartisan support for renewable energy.
But Mr Fraser said despite this "we have not been invited" to assist the government on the issue.
In a statement late on Tuesday, Mr Hunt thanked Mr Fraser for his work.
"He has had an outstanding career in public service, which I deeply respect and acknowledge," he said.
"In particular, I thank Mr Fraser for his assistance with the crossbench in the passage of the Emissions Reduction Fund."
The authority had urged the government to impose extra scrutiny on polluters to ensure that, under that fund, billions of taxpayer dollars are not spent on emissions cuts that would have occurred anyway.
Mr Fraser was an outspoken advocate of renewable energy and climate change action. In a strongly worded statement last month he directly contradicted government claims about emissions targets it would take to global climate talks in Paris later this year.
In the statement, Mr Fraser said Prime Minister Tony Abbott government's assertion that its emissions cuts were akin to the United States were incorrect, and in fact Australia's targets put the nation "at or near the bottom" of comparable countries.
He said on the basis of the government's current targets, Australia "would slip further behind the efforts being made by comparable countries and likely face large catch-up adjustments down the track".
Mr Fraser said Labor's proposed emissions trading scheme does not equate to a new carbon tax, contrary to the government's characterisation.
The government intends to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere by 26-28 per cent by 2030, based on 2005 levels.
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