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As the Coalition reviews net zero, some Liberals fear the damage the discussion might do

ABC News

2 days ago

Business
ABC News

As the Coalition reviews net zero, some Liberals fear the damage the discussion might do

Some Liberal MP's fear a looming discussion within the Coalition about net zero might damage the party politically, even as they expect the commitment to remain. Coalition leaders have made clear the pledge to lower emissions to net zero by 2050 is on the table, as the Libera Party reviews its policies after its disastrous election defeat. Some Nationals MPs have been openly agitating for the commitment to be dumped, including Senator Matt Canavan, who pitched his failed bid to lead the minor party as an attempt to "end our crazy and insane obsession of net zero". And some in the more conservative wing of the Liberal Party have also publicly questioned the policy's future. Andrew Hastie told the ABC's Four Corners net zero is a "straitjacket [he] is already getting out of" and questioned Australia selling coal and gas to India and China while looking to phase it out locally. Garth Hamilton, who represents the Queensland seat of Groom, has written in The Australian that he can't support a "blank-cheque policy [like] net zero". The questions over net zero have been met with frustration by some Liberal MPs, who are concerned about how the party seeks to reconnect with lost voters, particularly in metropolitan seats. There is also a frustration that net zero is perceived as a policy problem, while Labor has made the commitment and continues to approve new or expanded coal and gas projects. "No one wants this fight," one Liberal MP said, arguing they "don't get the obsession" within parts of the Coalition. Another Liberal MP said the focus should be on holding Labor to account for its climate commitments — like the task of reaching a 43 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030. Liberal senator Andrew Bragg told the ABC the discussion around net zero is about how to reach the target, not whether to keep it. "We're looking at how net zero can best be deployed in Australia as part of our policy review. We are committed to cutting emissions and that can only be done as part of an international framework, so that's our starting point," he said. Zoe McKenzie, who represents Flinders on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, told Sky News she was optimistic net zero would remain. "It is important for an electorate like mine, where the environment is very highly valued," she said. "But more importantly it's very important in the minds of the people in Australia's metropolitan seats, there are 88 of them and my side of politics only now holds eight." While party leaders have said there will be a review process around policies like net zero, it is not clear what that will look like. Some Coalition MPs who spoke to the ABC said they were still unsure what form it would take. Deputy Nationals leader Kevin Hogan was asked on Afternoon Briefing when the net zero policy review will happen. "We have no timeline on it, but just as with many of our other policies, we're going to have a review of it, get an audit of it, look at it," he said. "Are there new solutions to it? What we're trying to achieve — are there other measures we can do? Other ways we can do it that are better? "I welcome that, I welcome the discussion, but I don't have a timeline on that." He framed the review as looking at the cost borne by regional areas, rather than the fundamentals of climate change. "What I'm saying is we're going to review how we do it — if we have climate ambitions, what are they, what's achievable, and what's the best way to do this," he said. Meanwhile, Senator Canavan on Thursday posted an animated clip on social media, portraying him as a member of the "Dark Nats" — writing in the caption that he will "keep up the fight against this net zero madness".

Nationals and Liberals cement Coalition agreement after shock split

Mercury

4 days ago

Business
Mercury

Nationals and Liberals cement Coalition agreement after shock split

Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. The Nationals and Liberal Party have reached an agreement and will reunite after briefly splitting earlier this month following the Coalition's dire election performance. The agreement was confirmed following a virtual Nationals party room meeting on Wednesday morning. While the break up lasted merely days, the threat would have undone the Coalition since the 1987 federal election. Both Liberal Leader Sussan Ley and Nationals Leader David Littleproud are expected to address the media later on Wednesday to announce the new shadow cabinet. Fissures between the parties settled after the Liberal Party room agreed 'in principle' to the four policy demands set by the Nationals. After a brief split the Liberal and Nationals have reunited. Picture: NewsWire The policy requests centred on lifting the moratorium on nuclear power, a $20bn regional development fund, supermarket divestiture powers and calling on providers to increase coverage for mobile and internet providers. Ms Ley is expected to announce the shadow cabinet imminently, with the Nationals set to claim six shadow roles and two positions in the outer shadow ministry. Liberal party members will claim 14 shadow cabinet positions. Prominent National MPs Matt Canavan and former party leader Barnaby Joyce have both said it is unlikely they will get a shadow portfolio. While Nationals members have agreed to return to the Coalition, it appears MPs and senators were not asked to agree to cabinet solidarity, which calls on all opposition front benchers to back the party position during votes. Senator McKenzie confirmed it 'wasn't put to the room'. 'What was put to the party room and what the party room made its decision on was the four policy issues,' she told Seven. 'I was in the room. I know what the room made its decision on and it was the four policies, the mobile connectivity, divestiture of supermarkets, nuclear and obviously the regional futures fund.' Speaking to Sky while news of the party agreement broke, Nationals MP Colin Boyce remained scathing of Mr Littleproud, claiming the Coalition split shouldn't have happened and was 'based on bad information that was delivered to us by the leadership team'. Nationals MP Colin Boyce has criticised David Littleproud's position as Nationals Leader. Picture: NewsWire/ Gary Ramage Mr Boyce said he did not attend Wednesday's party room meeting because he was 'on an aeroplane in transit'. 'David Littleproud is the leader, and if he's not prepared to engage the whole room in respect to all of the conversations that we need to have on the way forward, he'd better start having another look at himself,' he said. 'I think it's very important that that agreement be reached.' However fellow Nationals senator Matt Canavan, who challenged Mr Littleproud for the Nationals leadership merely a fortnight ago backed in the Maranoa MP's performance. 'I think David's done a great job over the past week. He's delivered results for the Nationals party and the people we represent,' he told Nine on Wednesday. 'I'm happy with the leadership.' More to come Originally published as Nationals and Liberals cement Coalition agreement after shock post-election split

BREAKING NEWS New Zealand abandon's Jacinda Ardern's ban on oil and gas drilling after she declared that the world had moved on from fossil fuels

Daily Mail

4 days ago

Business
Daily Mail

BREAKING NEWS New Zealand abandon's Jacinda Ardern's ban on oil and gas drilling after she declared that the world had moved on from fossil fuels

New Zealand has done away with its net zero policy by overturning a oil and gas drilling ban in a shock move many hope Australia will replicate. The New Zealand government unveiled the plans in its latest budget, which was delivered earlier this week and provided for a $200m investment in new offshore gas fields. This decision reverses a 2018 ban on new offshore oil exploration permits introduced by former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who had promoted it as part of her plan for a carbon-neutral future. Ardern's 2018 decision came despite New Zealand discovering billions of cubic metres of natural gas offshore. 'The world has moved on from fossil fuels,' Ardern proclaimed at the time. New Zealand's energy minister, Shane Jones, said Ardern's ban had been a disaster. 'We are feeling the pain of constrained supply. The Government is not prepared to sit on the sidelines and watch our industrial and manufacturing dwindle because of energy security concerns,' he told the 'We are focused on growing the New Zealand economy, creating jobs and increasing prosperity and resilience. Natural gas will continue to be critical in delivering secure and affordable energy for New Zealanders for at least the next 20 years.' Nationals senator Matt Canavan took to social media on Friday to question why Australia has not yet done away with its own plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. 'New Zealand just dropped net zero,' he wrote in a post to social media. 'Why do we remain committed to this madness?' Canavan, who mounted an unsuccessful challenge to topple David Littleproud for the National Party's top post earlier this month, told Sky News on Sunday he hoped to convince his party to abandon its support for net zero. 'I didn't really run to become leader, I ran to end our ridiculous support of this crazy idea of net zero,' he said. 'Now, obviously, that fight continues; I haven't quite got there yet, but I had good conversations with my colleagues about that. 'I'm sure there will be a reflection on that policy at some point while we're in Opposition here.' His position appeared to contradict earlier comments by the party's deputy leader, Kevin Hogan, who said on Sunday that the net zero debate within the party had been settled. 'The Nationals support net zero [by] 2050,' he told ABC TV, adding the position was no longer 'up for review or being changed'. Littleproud has suggested policy disagreements should be on the table in renegotiating the Coalition agreement - a secretive document laying out the rules of engagement between the Liberal and National Party. It's unclear whether the Nationals will push to make net zero a key issue. Liberal frontbencher Anne Ruston told ABC's Insiders last Sunday the agreement should be limited to matters of administration, allowing both parties to handle policy issues within their party rooms. Ruston said net zero was an 'important part of policy going forward' but added it was 'no secret' the parties held different views on how best to achieve it. 'Right now, I absolutely think the thing we need to concentrate on is making sure that people can afford their power bills,' she said. 'The reality that we have to face as a political party, the Liberal Party, is that the electorate spoke very loudly to us two weekends ago that they didn't like what we were doing and we needed to make some changes.'

‘What our economy needs': Labor to approve North West Shelf extension

Sky News AU

5 days ago

Business
Sky News AU

‘What our economy needs': Labor to approve North West Shelf extension

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan says the Western Australian gas project extension is 'what our economy needs'. This comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on Monday, said the transition to renewables could not proceed without gas as a backup. 'This should have happened years, months ago,' Mr Canavan told Sky News Australia. 'The Western Australian government approved this project last year, the North West Shelf. 'It's a $30 billion project; it's what our economy needs.'

‘Ridiculous pursuit': Labor's net zero ‘experiment' has failed to bring down prices