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Federal ministers are planning to neutralise a backbench threat on climate change by making sure a new carbon target will not be mandated by law, avoiding a vote in Parliament that could rock the government.

The Morrison government is aiming to achieve the contentious target of net zero emissions by 2050 by pledging billions of dollars on energy projects without a mechanism that requires majority support from a divided backbench.

But the plan could undermine business confidence in the path to matching other advanced economies, with a top economist saying company chiefs would need the certainty that comes from a mandate set by law.

Australian National University Professor Warwick McKibbin said a binding emissions target was one of several critical policies required to achieve lower emissions with the least economic harm.

“If you don’t have a legislated target built into the system then the private sector won’t risk capital to hit the target,” said Professor McKibbin, a former Reserve Bank board member.

“You need a target at the core of policy, but it has to be measured over the long term as an average over time.”

Read the full article on The Sydney Morning Herald website, featuring commentary by Prof Warwick McKibbin