Barnaby Joyce can’t believe the success he is having with his anti-net-zero push, but he’s still telling the Nationals he might be ‘outta here” anyway. One Nation is calling after all. Photo: Barnaby Joyce.
And the winner is … Barnaby Joyce … and Anthony Albanese … and even the Greens.
The Liberal Party can certainly not claim any victory from its gobsmacking decision to be dictated to by the Nationals and drop its commitment to net zero.
Nor can it take anything remotely like a sense of satisfaction from the rambling-upon-rambling circus show of a press conference held straight after that decision was made.
In a nutshell, the Liberal Party now “welcomes” the idea that Australia might achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, but it will no longer commit itself to the target.
The Libs are “out” of net zero but still “in” the Paris Agreement.
It is more than baffling that this has any semblance of logic, especially when it constitutes a breach of the Paris Agreement on international climate change action for any signatory to water down its previously stated commitments.
Australia’s net-zero by 2050 commitment was made by former Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison in October 2021 and subsequently legislated in September 2022 by the new Labor government.
Could someone please explain to Sussan Ley how her party can stay committed to the Paris Agreement while not meeting its legislated net-zero targets?
The Opposition Leader herself made a botch of trying to answer that question when asked because, quite simply, it can’t be done.
They can’t have it both ways.
“Well, our policy will always be in the interests of affordable energy for Australian households, and I’m not going to say there’s some detail in an international agreement that prevents us from doing what we know we need to be doing for Australians,” Ms Ley said during the press conference..
“So in government, we would submit our nationally determined contributions, which are short-term targets under the Paris Agreement.”
Fat chance of that ever happening.
The Coalition has consigned itself to Opposition for many years to come.
Or maybe it’s worse than that. Perhaps it’s not too much of a leap to say (as some of the crossbenchers are already saying) the Coalition has consigned itself to oblivion.
It has certainly made itself irrelevant.
Irrelevant on climate change, irrelevant to young voters and irrelevant to inner city voters.
It’s fine for the Nationals to die in a ditch over net zero because they have a locked-on constituency in the bush.
The Liberals will literally die in the ditches they have just dug for themselves in metropolitan electorates where voters are demanding action on climate change.
Instead, the Liberals under Ley’s leadership are making motherhood statements about looking after their kids (but not so much the grandkids, apparently), taking care of the environment in ways other than just setting “pointless” long-term targets, and bringing down power bills (that old chestnut).
The policy that is not yet a policy that was presented on Thursday lacks detail, has no substance at all, and rings completely hollow. Even then, it’s not a policy until the Nationals give it the tick on Sunday.
Let’s see how far taking nuclear power as an energy policy to a federal election gets the Coalition. Hang on, haven’t we already seen how far (backwards) it gets them?
Australians can expect to hear more about nuclear energy and more about coal from the Libs and Nats over the coming months. They can’t help themselves.
Too bad (for them) that fewer people are listening to them with every new day and every new silly policy manoeuvre.
The Prime Minister can’t believe his luck. The Coalition has turned into the gift that keeps on giving to Labor.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has seized the moment, too, and asked whether the government can, in all good faith, now even deal with the Opposition in trying to get its environmental protection laws through the Senate.
Best to strike a deal with the Greens than to negotiate with the Coalition that has so openly displayed its contempt for the environment is the point she is making.
That’s a good point, but maybe don’t hold your breath waiting on that one.
All the while, Barnaby Joyce, whose dummy spit over net zero started this Coalition train wreck, isn’t even committing to staying with his party now that the whole Opposition has followed him down the anti-climate change path.
“This is not about me, this is about getting rid of the policy,” he said when asked if he was now likely to stick with the Nats.
“I keep my cards close to my chest, and I played my part. Now I look forward to seeing what happens on Sunday.”
But really, who cares anymore what happens when the Libs and Nats meet on Sunday to form an agreed energy position?
We already know it will be a corker and one that won’t protect Australia’s future … or the future of the Liberal Party and its leader.
