Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s decision on net zero has just become tougher after the Nationals abandoned the policy commitment. Photo: Instagram.
The Nationals have formally dropped their support for the net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 goal, placing huge pressure on the Liberals to do the same or risk splitting the Coalition.
The junior Coalition partner reached a unanimous decision during a special partyroom meeting on Sunday (2 November) to strike net zero from its platform, following a meeting of the party’s federal council in Canberra the day before.
State and territory branches of the party had voted to abandon it.
The National’s review of the policy, led by senators Matt Canavan and Ross Cadell, concluded the commitment to net zero was no longer serving the interests of the Australian people.
Rural and regional areas were being the hardest hit by the renewable energy push and the soaring cost of energy bills, their report stated.
Nationals Leader David Littleproud said while there will be “puerile arguments” that the party is full of climate change deniers, the country needs an “intellectual debate” on the issue.
To replace net zero, the Nationals are instead pushing their own “all-energy approach” to deliver the “lowest possible electricity prices” for Australian households and businesses, while maintaining reliability and lowering emissions.
“Australia can’t afford Labor’s net zero plan, which Labor cannot achieve anyway,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Families are paying too much, and jobs are being lost. Our environment is suffering with forests and farmland being destroyed.
“We need to bring common sense back to solving climate change. Our plan puts Australians first, with cheaper electricity and secure jobs, while still lowering emissions.
“Under Labor’s net zero, electricity prices are up by 39 per cent. Gas prices are up by 46 per cent. In the meantime, real wages have dropped back to 2011 levels and 7000 manufacturing jobs have been lost.
“The Nationals will abandon a net zero commitment.”
The party’s policy now is to remove all carbon taxes and restrictions and promote local community action through initiatives such as waterway protection, land restoration and soil carbon sequestration.
The Nationals say lower emissions will be “incentivised” through a renewed Emissions Reduction Fund, costing a “small fraction of the $9 billion” currently being spent each year on net-zero subsidies, regulations, and administrative costs.
“Our approach will increase investment in cheaper electricity by broadening the Capacity Investment Scheme to include all energy technologies and remove the moratorium on nuclear energy,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Labor’s net zero has failed. We have a plan which is cheaper, better and fairer.”
Senator Canavan, who has openly pushed for an end to net zero, said he was proud of the position the party has taken.
“We, the National Party, have found our voice today,” he said.
However, it is a voice that has sent shivers down the spine of Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, who has been adamant that the Coalition would not decide its energy and environment policies until all reviews were completed.
She has brought forward the deadline for the Liberal Party’s own review of energy policy because of the Nationals’ move but, unlike in the junior party, there remains strong support from numerous Liberals for retaining the net zero commitment.
The issue has long been a point of internal contention for the Coalition.
Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan, who is leading the Libs’ policy review, said on Monday morning (3 November) that it would be completed before Christmas.
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has his own private member’s bill before parliament to abandon net zero, and is no longer attending partyroom meetings out of frustration that the Coalition has not adopted his position.
Speaking on the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, Environment Minister Murray Watt said it looked like the Nationals were calling the shots for the entire Opposition.
“Yet again, we’re seeing the tail wagging the dog in the Coalition,” Senator Watt said.
“We’ve got the National Party, which didn’t even rate 4 per cent of the vote in the last federal election, dictating terms to the Liberal Party who claim to be the majority party in a coalition.
“It’s a repeat of what we saw with nuclear, where the National Party went out first to drag the Liberal Party into supporting nuclear, only to be resoundingly rejected by the Australian people at the last election.
“I mean, the idea that you would hand over climate and energy policy to the likes of Matt Canavan and the ghost of Barnaby Joyce is like handing Dracula the keys to the blood bank.
“Half the National Party don’t believe in climate change. The other half just want to wish it away.
“What they are doing in dragging the Liberal Party to this position is getting in the way of the incredible economic opportunity that transitioning to net zero provides.
“So it’s a real test for the Liberal Party about whether they’re going to continue being dictated to by a junior partner in their coalition who doesn’t believe in climate change, or whether they’re going to get with the rest of the world and take the economic opportunities that transition involves.”
