Australia does need to reduce its carbon emissions, Liberal members have agreed, but the party’s commitment to net zero by 2050 is in doubt after a meeting of backbenchers.
Around 25 to 30 MPs and senators held marathon talks with opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan in Canberra on Friday.
Over more than three hours, the Liberal politicians had their say on the direction of the party’s energy policy, which is under review after Labor’s landslide election victory in May.
All attendees agreed that they needed a plan to reduce both carbon emissions and power prices, and suggested the conservative and moderate wings of the party were closer than they previously thought on a number of issues.
But there were a number of notable no-shows, including the Nationals who were attending the first day of their federal conference.
Outspoken net-zero critic and potential leadership contender Andrew Hastie also didn’t attend because he was having surgery on his shoulder, which he hurt during a jiu jitsu lesson.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Tehan said it had been a productive few hours but wouldn’t give any commitments to net zero.
“There is a process that we have to go through, and it’s got to be a proper and thorough process,” he told reporters.
He said the party was likely to finalise its position six to nine months after the federal election, meaning a decision would likely be announced some time between November and January.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said she wouldn’t accept “net zero at any cost,” claiming the government’s climate targets were not credible.
“If you don’t have affordable energy, you don’t have manufacturing,” she told reporters on the NSW Central Coast.
“And if you have unaffordable energy, everything is unaffordable,” she said.
Mr Tehan has committed to further consultations with his Liberal and National colleagues as the coalition partners continue to thrash out their energy policy.
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